predators

[chetschicks]

Hello, my name is Chet and recently joined from Mocksville NC i have six gold sex links and six leghorns and one roo. the chicks are 16 weeks and four of my leghorns will not come back to the coop at night,this started about four days ago. well they roost up high in the trees but last night one disappeared.I searched everywhere for her and found a pile feathers about 150 yards away. any suggestion on what to do next? they like to free range during the day,and usually all will be in by 8 pm. what are the most likely predators in my area? should I try to trap or sit out and wait????

 

[sourland]

Everything likes to eat our chickens. Tree roosting birds are very vulnerable to Great Horned Owl attacks. Do you have a run attached to your coop? If so remove all feed during the day and put feed in the run/coop in the evening to lure the birds into the coop. Once there, close the gates. Sometimes after birds in the trees are attacked they will return to the coop the next evening for safety. I would try to lure the birds into the coop, set traps, and set out and wait trusty shotgun in hand. Good luck at resolving this.

 

[Chick whisper]

You could try leaving them In the run for a few days and see if the predator will go away, but if to is still bugging you after a few days you could try trapping it if you would like. As for the chicks not wanting to come back at night....the y will eventually learn to come back, for a few days you might wanna bring them back in by hand...that's what I have to do sometimes it's a pain but it keeps them safe...plus they will learn eventually! Hope this helps!!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Yes, you need to keep these leghorns locked up in the coop for several days straight. What this will do is teach them to come back to the coop at night to roost. Chickens tend to sleep where they have survived the night. So locking them inside for a few days will help teach them where home is.

However watch to make sure the others are not keeping them out at night. Sometimes the more dominate birds will block out the shier birds and they aren't allowed in at night. So go up at roosting time and make sure the leghorns do get in.

Good luck and I hope you can get them all using the coop at night. Never let them sleep in the trees. You will lose them all.

Welcome to our flock!

 

[drumstick diva]

If the don't roost very high in the trees, go out at night and take them down. Birds do not like to move in the dark, which is why they are sitting ducks for predators like owls or raccoons. If you have covered run keep all your birds in there at least till the predator has moved on no free ranging.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!