Sad...

[DuckPro]

(WARNING YOU MIGHT BURST IN TEARS)
today I woke up and checked on my chickens, then I saw, my beloved welsummer (half a year old) hen was lying on the floor with a terrified face (she was headless) I immediately thought it was a mink (minks kill chickens for fun) and today I buried her. I buried her under the tree she always used to sit under with me..

Do you have any ideas how to keep minks out of kill them?

(Still crying under the tree I buried her right now )

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I personally know how disheartening it is to lose a favorite hen to a predator.

It is hard to say at this time if it were a mink. Do you have a lot of mink in the area?

It could also be a raccoon. They will definitely eat the heads off of chickens.

No matter what the critter, you do need to protect your girls.

That means you must secure them every night behind locked doors in a fully enclosed wooden coop, preferably raised off the ground (to avoid tunneling).

Chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not keep predators out. Hardward cloth is much better. Any wire/cloth/structure should go 12 inches or deeper into the ground.

Many keepers use electric wire if they are in an area with heavy predator population such as coon or minks or bobcats.

If it is a raccoon, or mink, once they have had a successful kill, they almost always return night after night until the flock is gone.

It is usually best to trap and properly dispose of the critter according to local ordinance. Be sure to check what you can do as a property owner with threat to livestock on your property. My state allows trapping and euthanasia by the owner for predators when they threaten livestock. Some predators, such as raccoons, are illegal to relocate.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. Sadly, it is part of the risk of chicken keeping. I'm sure many others will have solid advice upon what would be the best set up for your property.

Lofmc

 

[calichicken]

So sorry for your loss losing a feather baby is devastating!

 

[DuckPro]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I personally know how disheartening it is to lose a favorite hen to a predator.

It is hard to say at this time if it were a mink. Do you have a lot of mink in the area?

It could also be a raccoon. They will definitely eat the heads off of chickens.

No matter what the critter, you do need to protect your girls.

That means you must secure them every night behind locked doors in a fully enclosed wooden coop, preferably raised off the ground (to avoid tunneling).

Chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not keep predators out. Hardward cloth is much better. Any wire/cloth/structure should go 12 inches or deeper into the ground.

Many keepers use electric wire if they are in an area with heavy predator population such as coon or minks or bobcats.

If it is a raccoon, or mink, once they have had a successful kill, they almost always return night after night until the flock is gone.

It is usually best to trap and properly dispose of the critter according to local ordinance. Be sure to check what you can do as a property owner with threat to livestock on your property. My state allows trapping and euthanasia by the owner for predators when they threaten livestock. Some predators, such as raccoons, are illegal to relocate.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. Sadly, it is part of the risk of chicken keeping. I'm sure many others will have solid advice upon what would be the best set up for your property.

Lofmc

Hi..

So sorry for your loss losing a feather baby is devastating!

she was my best hen!

 

[DuckPro]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I personally know how disheartening it is to lose a favorite hen to a predator.

It is hard to say at this time if it were a mink. Do you have a lot of mink in the area?

It could also be a raccoon. They will definitely eat the heads off of chickens.

No matter what the critter, you do need to protect your girls.

That means you must secure them every night behind locked doors in a fully enclosed wooden coop, preferably raised off the ground (to avoid tunneling).

Chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not keep predators out. Hardward cloth is much better. Any wire/cloth/structure should go 12 inches or deeper into the ground.

Many keepers use electric wire if they are in an area with heavy predator population such as coon or minks or bobcats.

If it is a raccoon, or mink, once they have had a successful kill, they almost always return night after night until the flock is gone.

It is usually best to trap and properly dispose of the critter according to local ordinance. Be sure to check what you can do as a property owner with threat to livestock on your property. My state allows trapping and euthanasia by the owner for predators when they threaten livestock. Some predators, such as raccoons, are illegal to relocate.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. Sadly, it is part of the risk of chicken keeping. I'm sure many others will have solid advice upon what would be the best set up for your property.

Lofmc

Thank you so much for the ideas!
I don't even feel like eating chicken for a long time now

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sorry to hear about your hen

How is your setup - any photos of your coop/run?

I agree, a predator that is successful will return, so setting some traps in addition to addressing any entry points into your coop is a good idea. Inspect your coop for any openings and cover with hardware cloth.

 

[DuckPro]

Sorry to hear about your hen

How is your setup - any photos of your coop/run?

I agree, a predator that is successful will return, so setting some traps in addition to addressing any entry points into your coop is a good idea. Inspect your coop for any openings and cover with hardware cloth.

It's not really a coop, it's basically a small house LOL
I'm on holiday in Iran/Turkey and they say they're lots of minks here. I'll send a photo if u like

 

[peeper89]

u take chiken on vacay with u?

 

[calichicken]

u take chiken on vacay with u?

We do LOL! We have 2 house chickens and they go everywhere with us

 

[DuckPro]

u take chiken on vacay with u?

No we hatched the chickens here. I see my top rooster's comb has gone a bit blue. He's probably really sad too.