Predator took all 5 hens last night! I feel horrible!

[NJL]

Sorry for your loss as that had to be hard to see. Try not to beat yourself up as these things can happen. In my experiences, foxes tend to dig under fences so I would suspect coyotes because they are quite resourceful and would probably climb a fence to get at the chickens.

 

[NJL]

Do you have raccoons in the area? What kind of latch do you have on your coop? If you have a family they would easily take out all of your chickens and can undo latches as well. So you may have latched your coop.

good day my chicken peep..it is so heartbreaking to find nothing.. my advice to you is ..run a hot wire in front of the door at night... 1-3 ft of the ground..1 ZAP and that Monster will not kill your birds again...ZAP...how do you like me now...best of luck...Happy Trails Nancy

 

[Chickenclaude]

Oh man! Sorry! I had younger hens inside a dog crate inside the run but something took out two...leaving feathers. My bet is on-a Fox. They kill, and haul away. Pulled them right thru the dog cage sides...and out the covered run. No tracks here either. I have dogs too. Thank goodness my husband now reminds me to lock em up at night if I forget...

 

[mikehjkl]

My bet is a raccoon or two. Maybe a bobcat, both species are capable of carrying a dead chicken over a fence, and I have had both get into my chicken pen. But the raccoon did the most damage. killed all 7 of my hens and carried off 6 of them. left tracks in the mud (last summer) so I know it was a raccoon.

 

[Redcheck1]

Hello, I usually set a trap even if my coop is locked up. We want the world to be perfect, but it isn't always that way. The wild animals are doing what is natural for them. Its up to us to never let our guard down. I have had only the feet left from the chickens. Sometimes we all forget its the wild animals against us. This also will pass. Take care.

 

[ZaHen]

I would also highly consider a predator in the weasel family. I’m so very sorry for your loss! No one who has kept chickens for any period of time hasn’t experienced this heartbreak of predation, myself included, and I hate this for any of my fellow chook keepers. We live and learn, and then sometimes we just make a mistake anyway, because we’re human. One thing I do as insurance to not forget to make sure to lock up (and do a head count!) is to set a permanent alarm on my iPhone; IE it’s set to repeat 7 days a week at the same time. I also have one in the summer to let a few of my girls, who are in a smaller coop with a shut door, out by 8AM. I don’t want to get busy and forget (my other girls have open access to their built-in coop run), due to the horrid heat & humidity we have here in the summer. Also, for nighttime double checking, my tom turkey is a stinker about not going into his coop to roost at night - no matter the weather, the adorable lunatic! - so, I became paranoid about forgetting to get back there and usher him home, let alone lock my chook coop doors. Some folks install automatic doors, but there are risks to mitigate with those, as well: Head counts are still important (maybe a coop cam?), and one needs to be on top of seasonal daylight changes - IE Set for dark earlier, now sunset is later. I saw a video showing a fox pick off the chickens in a run, because the automatic coop door had shut the hens out, because the timing wasn’t reset for later sunset (even 5 minutes difference can mean life or death).

 

[Joseph K]

Hi Everyone, thank you to everyone at this forum as you have all been so helpful! Every night I have a routine which includes checking on my 5 hens and closing their hutch door. I have done this for 5 years. Last night I am assuming I forgot as I noted the main door open this AM. All of my chickens are gone. There are no bodies, bones, etc. - just piles of feathers. I live in town with 2 sides of 8 foot fence and 2 sides of 4 foot fence. Hawks have been my daytime issues in the past as I lost one of my birds two years ago to a hawk in the daylight. I feel horribly guilty. Does anyone know what predator, in a southeastern PA town would just leave feathers overnight, be able to kill 5 birds, and leave nothing more? There are no gaps in the fence bottom and I have 3 dogs who use my yard to run and play....thank you for any information. I truly appreciate it!

 

[Joseph K]

So very very sorry for your loss. In my Backyard in Massachusetts I am always trying to be on guard when it comes to Preditors. My backyard has woods behind it. I watch for the following Preditors that
will kill or eat chickens. First neighborhood dogs, Fox wander around during the day, racoons,coyottes, Hawks, Deer, and Black bears and also Owls.
I have installed strips of wire and deer netting high above the run to protect from Hawks taking a hen and flying off with it.. My run area has 6FT high steel wire on the outside and 6 Ft. high small hole chicken wire on the inside of the run. If I am home as soon as the sun sets I drop the Coop Door to protect them. My coop is raised and is
4 feet off the ground. I purchased 4 Preditor Pro flashing red lights
that run by solar power. I have hung the lights in 4 locations on the outside of the run fence facing the back woods,. These lights are not very expensive thru Amazon.com they flash all night till daylight then they shut off. So far these flashing Preditor Pro lights have kept the large Preditors away since October. I also have outdoor spot lights that I can turn on to light up the Coop and run area if I should hear any unusual sounds, I also have have a portable Boat Air Horn available if needed to scare away preditors.
It is important to have a Baseball Bat, a Shovel or 2X 4 to protect you from a group of Coyottes they travel in Packs. I hope some of these tips will help in the Future to help protect your Chickens from Preditors.

Joe from Massachusetts

 

[Rooapalooza]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I totally empathize with you. One night I was a little late putting them up (only like 30 min after dark) and my three favorite hens, who slept on the lowest roost, were all dead. It was quite a bit more gruesome than your scene though. Honestly I feel like there are too many potential predators to assume one without other evidence. Were your chickens 5 years old? If so, they had a long life at least..

 

[kwaple001]

Hi Everyone, thank you to everyone at this forum as you have all been so helpful! Every night I have a routine which includes checking on my 5 hens and closing their hutch door. I have done this for 5 years. Last night I am assuming I forgot as I noted the main door open this AM. All of my chickens are gone. There are no bodies, bones, etc. - just piles of feathers. I live in town with 2 sides of 8 foot fence and 2 sides of 4 foot fence. Hawks have been my daytime issues in the past as I lost one of my birds two years ago to a hawk in the daylight. I feel horribly guilty. Does anyone know what predator, in a southeastern PA town would just leave feathers overnight, be able to kill 5 birds, and leave nothing more? There are no gaps in the fence bottom and I have 3 dogs who use my yard to run and play....thank you for any information. I truly appreciate it!
[Do you think a pack of coyotes may have gotten in and carried them off? It’s their mating season.