predators

[oldcarnut]

hi everyone i'm a newbie here just wanted to say hi and let you know what happend last night. i had 18 chicken i had grown from chicks. 6 buffs, 5 black astrolopes, 5 rhode reds and two little bantams. something got in the coop last night and killed 16 of them. mostly bit their heads off. i have two buffs left. i'm devastated! what could have gotten in and killed so many? i live in missouri. any suggestions. mike

 

[enola]

Sure wish you had joined under better circumstances !

I don't have any advice about predators. The only ones I have are the unfortunate dogs in the neighborhood that are owned by idiots.

Do you have an incubator ??

 

[renemarie]

How Awful!!!!!!! How old were they?? How was your coop secured?? I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[gardenak]

What types of predators do you have in your area? Racoons, opossum, mink (and various other assorted weasely things), cats, fox/coyotes? What is the run like? What type of coop are they in?

from AK

 

[SteffyK]

I'm so sorry!
Its odd, cause last night I lost 8 14 week olds also. Two of mine were eaten (only feet, heads and one wing left) and the others died from their wounds. I only found out cuz as I was leaving this morning, I heard some very loud chirping and all the big birds in the other pen were staring in that direction. There was one wounded that the other smaller birds were pecking at. When I got there to rescue it (funny how they come running to you when their in need, but run from you when they're happy) I noticed what looked like dead birds everywhere. It turned out that I lost half of my new araucana stock that I had such high breeding hopes for.

All this AFTER we moved an up and coming roo in there...guess my Wellie roo just isnt old enough yet.

We are now in the process of moving birds, creating new improved fencing, and loading the gun!

My losses:

1 barred rock
1 red sex link
6 araucanas

Wounded:

1 araucana whose cries alerted me to the carnage.

 

[Boyd]

could be raccoons, the problem 90% of the time

Give us a little more info on how they were housed, where they were killed etc.

 

[thomas h]

Hi
The last birds I had were quail a few years back,,and I now just got into chickens again .

But I quit with keeping birds

after An ermine [weasel] Killed all 25 quail.
In one night .Mostly their heads were attacked .
I walked away not bothering with my dead quail and the next night the weasel started stashing the quail .

That could be your predator.

hope you get the vermin that killed your birds.

thomas

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Racoons bite heads off ! I would bet that is what killed your chickies. Have had lots of experience with them and none of it pretty.

So far, after dispatcing the last one that killed my cat, things have been quiet.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Teach97]

skunks will do that as well

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Hi Mike,

i'm so sorry for your loss. Sounds like classic raccoon attack. But i am far from an expert. There is a sticky at the top of this section that has info on predator identification. Did you see any animal footprints in or outside the pen? Maybe a bit of fur got caught on some wire or a nail? That might help with the ID.

If you could give us more information on your pen and coop, maybe even pictures, i'm sure everyone would be happy to help with advice on how to better secure it against predators in the future.

Colleen