Predator Caught Rooster but we have him!! Need info

[mrsahunter86]

Okay, so a few of our hens got taken out the other night, we are thinking raccoons. Last night something got our rooster, carried him out over our 7-8 foot high fence, hence why we think raccoon. Husband went out, scared whatever it was off quickly with a shot but we couldn't find the attacker. We have the rooster though, his face is messed up but that seems to be it. He's dead, and rigor mortis has set in. Is it still safe to prepare him or have we waited too long? How do we proceed or do we just trash bag him?

Also, we are addressing the issue and figuring out ways to handle the predators. I got some repellent for now, and husband is going to buy some traps to put out. We blocked off the entrance to the coop last night and that protected the flock for the night at least. Willing to hear ideas for that as well but mainly wanting to know if it's safe to eat the rooster.

 

[pauleberly]

I would not eat. If the animal had disease or bacteria in its mouth it could have spread.

Better to be safe than sorry

 

[sourland]

Trashbag the rooster, set the traps, and lock the coop every night. Good luck in solving the problem.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I just posted this to my thread a couple days ago...

Protecting the Flock

I know that I have posted about using cage traps to catch predators, but for the life of me...I cannot find it. So here it is again.

I live in town. This is what I use to catch any culprits that might want to make a meal out of my chickens. The trap opening is 13 inches X 13 inches, and 36 inches in length. Once the predator steps on the treadle, the door closes and your predator problems are solved. Any one that keeps chickens should have at least a pair of these for quick use when predators stalk our birds. These traps are solid, well built and will last you for many years.

Stay away from the Havahart brand traps, unless you're after squirrels, Havaharts are cheaply made and use sheet metal, the springs that lock the trap are weak. I've had animals push out of a Havahart Trap. If a predator forces out of a Havahart trap once, the trap is ruined.

For most predators bait it with a tin of soft cat food food and set it each night. One time I had a squirrel problem, so I baited it with a mix of peanuts and corn, caught a lot of birds, but after a few days no squirrels. You will probably not want to leave it set during the day, all you'll catch is a bunch of chickens; trust me.

You'll need to stake it so it cannot be turned over, if the trap rolls over the washers will slide and the trap door will open. If the predator escapes, they just got a free education as to what to avoid in the future.

It works great for squirrels, weasels, mink, feral cats, small dogs, dumb foxes with a lower I.Q., and raccoons; basically most of the animals that want to make a meal out of our birds.

For cautious predators like foxes, the trap has to be perfectly bedded, no wobble at all or a fox will not enter the trap. The trap needs to be well weathered, just leave them outside and nature will do a great job. When handling the trap, always wear gloves, try not to touch the trap with bare hands.

Cautious predators are very challenging to stop from killing chickens.

Most foxes that become chicken killers are the young of the year that are just learning to hunt and provide for themselves. Chickens are an easy prey item for young foxes...

Here Is my recipe:
1 tin of sardines
2 cups of vegetable oil

Mix the sardines and vegetable oil in a blender until puraid completely. Then in a 5 gallon bucket mix the slurry thoroughly with about 10 pounds of dry dog food.

This makes a very good bait for most any predator that feeds on chickens, but is especially appealing to raccoons and foxes.

If you are having trouble catching the predator that is being overly cautious, and there are no malfunctions of the trap itself, wire the trap open so that it cannot trigger and let the target animal hit the trap each night for about a week. Check the trap each day to ensure that the predator is visiting the cage trap, re-bait as needed.

After week, remove the wire and ensure that the trap is properly set. If the predator is hitting the trap regularly, you should have your chicken killer the next morning.

This approach works great for even those very cautious predators like foxes.

 

[donrae]

I'm not hungry enough to eat an animal that's been killed by a predator.

But you don't have to trash the carcass. Bury him and plant something there, a berry plant or a tomato, something edible. You'll have a great harvest.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I would not eat. If the animal had disease or bacteria in its mouth it could have spread.

Better to be safe than sorry

Cooking would probably kill the germs but personally I wouldn't do it either.

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

I just posted this to my thread a couple days ago...

Protecting the Flock

I know that I have posted about using cage traps to catch predators, but for the life of me...I cannot find it. So here it is again.



I live in town. This is what I use to catch any culprits that might want to make a meal out of my chickens. The trap opening is 13 inches X 13 inches, and 36 inches in length. Once the predator steps on the treadle, the door closes and your predator problems are solved. Any one that keeps chickens should have at least a pair of these for quick use when predators stalk our birds. These traps are solid, well built and will last you for many years.

What kind of cage is that? We've got a raccoon stalking our chickens and he's not even afraid of humans. I mean he'll waddle off, but he's been eating my neighbor's cat food and coming up while they're sitting there so much that he's not afraid. I let my chickens out of the run for an hour or two at night before they go to roost whenever I get the chance and tonight I caught the raccoon about 15' away eyeballing them. I borrowed my sister-in-law's Havahart tonight and baited it with marshmallows. Hopefully we'll get him. If not, even though I live in the city, I'll probably shoot him if I catch him in my yard. My coop is pretty secure, so I don't think he can get in, plus I've got electric wire around the run, but I'm not taking any chances. He's going to go, one way or the other!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

It's a cage trap...or also commonly called a live trap.

I try to buy them when I see them at a good price. Most trap supply stores carry them. They come in sized from squirrel up to live trapping bobcats. The size that I have in my photo works great for most things that people call me about.

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

My sister-in-law's trap did the trick. This female is NOT a happy camper! I hope she's the only one around, but wouldn't surprise me if there's a whole family around somewhere.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Keep setting your trap, you might catch some more.