So frustrated

[HippieAtHeart]

Even tho this is title 'Massachusetts', the range described is all out west.

Yeah I was looking at this morning. Could always be rats because of the many openings and clean looking holes but OP doesn’t think that’s the case.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

I wouldn’t put it past a squirrel to do that though to get back to a cache of nuts it saved before. Could always check for little dug up holes in the run

 

[jbahros]

So you said it might be a squirrel, and after doing some general googling I think it might be even thought it seems odd. I found this diagram from the Iowa state university website and based on you saying there was also a hole in the garden it points to a ground squirrel to me. View attachment 2165650
I also read this blurb fromhttps://homeguides.sfgate.com/kind-rodent-burrowing-holes-garden-94065.html and it also appears from the description to be a ground squirrel based on the holes being all over.
View attachment 2165654

Wow!. Thank you so much to everyone for all your help. What a fantastic group! I feel fortunate to have so many smart chicken lovers working to help solve this problem. I have a friend dropping off a trap today but as Art pointed out the trap may catch something other than the culprit. I saw a grey squirrel approaching the pen so that is why I thought is was the squirrel. The cracked corn and crumbles remain untouched. In the past when this are was used to house metal garden steaks and tomato hoops we had chipmunks living there. Also, a few days ago, before I realized there was a problem I had my 4 1/2 week old chicken in the pen for a day outing while I worked in the garden outside their pen so I had a direct view in. During this time (middle of the day) a new hole appeared, chicks were unharmed and made no noise to indicate trouble, and their food was untouched. I do have a camera that I plan to put up but I need to get an extender to access WIFI from the house. I think that is the best thing now to definitively identify the criminal. Aside from the detective work, I have ordered the hardware cloth which should arrive by June 4 and plan to dig down a few inches in the inside of the pen after taking everything out ( ugh!) the line the bottom with HC and attached securely to inner wall so it is sealed completely from any diggers.

 

[aart]

Yeah I was looking at this morning. Could always be rats because of the many openings and clean looking holes but OP doesn’t think that’s the case.

Well, there are other types of ground squirrels here in the east.
'Ground squirrel' is a common name for multiple 'rodents'.

plan to dig down a few inches in the inside of the pen after taking everything out ( ugh!) the line the bottom with HC and attached securely to inner wall so it is sealed completely from any diggers.

You might be better off digging in the apron outside the run.

 

[rayrose]

I trap approximately 50 squirrels every year in Safeguard traps. They cannot resist sunflower seeds so I'd use that for bait. As an aside, they eat bird eggs, including chicken eggs. You can place the traps outside or inside your run.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Wow!. Thank you so much to everyone for all your help. What a fantastic group! I feel fortunate to have so many smart chicken lovers working to help solve this problem. I have a friend dropping off a trap today but as Art pointed out the trap may catch something other than the culprit. I saw a grey squirrel approaching the pen so that is why I thought is was the squirrel. The cracked corn and crumbles remain untouched. In the past when this are was used to house metal garden steaks and tomato hoops we had chipmunks living there. Also, a few days ago, before I realized there was a problem I had my 4 1/2 week old chicken in the pen for a day outing while I worked in the garden outside their pen so I had a direct view in. During this time (middle of the day) a new hole appeared, chicks were unharmed and made no noise to indicate trouble, and their food was untouched. I do have a camera that I plan to put up but I need to get an extender to access WIFI from the house. I think that is the best thing now to definitively identify the criminal. Aside from the detective work, I have ordered the hardware cloth which should arrive by June 4 and plan to dig down a few inches in the inside of the pen after taking everything out ( ugh!) the line the bottom with HC and attached securely to inner wall so it is sealed completely from any diggers.

Wow that’s crazy a new hole appeared while you were outside basically watching them! I am so curious to what it is so I hope you catch it on your camera!

 

[aart]

I trap approximately 50 squirrels every year in Safeguard traps.

@rayrose What do you do with them?

 

[rayrose]

I drown them in a rain barrel. If you release them, they'll just come back.

 

[HippieAtHeart]

Wow!. Thank you so much to everyone for all your help. What a fantastic group! I feel fortunate to have so many smart chicken lovers working to help solve this problem. I have a friend dropping off a trap today but as Art pointed out the trap may catch something other than the culprit. I saw a grey squirrel approaching the pen so that is why I thought is was the squirrel. The cracked corn and crumbles remain untouched. In the past when this are was used to house metal garden steaks and tomato hoops we had chipmunks living there. Also, a few days ago, before I realized there was a problem I had my 4 1/2 week old chicken in the pen for a day outing while I worked in the garden outside their pen so I had a direct view in. During this time (middle of the day) a new hole appeared, chicks were unharmed and made no noise to indicate trouble, and their food was untouched. I do have a camera that I plan to put up but I need to get an extender to access WIFI from the house. I think that is the best thing now to definitively identify the criminal. Aside from the detective work, I have ordered the hardware cloth which should arrive by June 4 and plan to dig down a few inches in the inside of the pen after taking everything out ( ugh!) the line the bottom with HC and attached securely to inner wall so it is sealed completely from any diggers.

Were you able to find out what it was digging holes into your coop?

 

[jbahros]

Hey Hippieatheart,

Thank you so much for following up with me. No still a mystery. I put a trap out (for 2 weeks) but caught nothing. While I was working in the pen I saw many chipmunks around the pen and making holes in the adjacent garden. To make the 12 x 12 foot pen safe I dug down 5 inches in the floor and then laid down HC 1/2 inch 19 gauge and secured it with hog rings to the vertical HC ( 9 inches down) that I had previous put along the perimeter. I also still have the 2 foot apron of HC around the outside perimeter. The girls, now 6 weeks old, are very happy in their new digs; coop in pen centrally with a large covered run. Thank you so much for asking. I suspect chipmunks but my biggest fear is a weasel.

Jessica