So many dead chickens

[jk_olive_MI]

Ya’ll I don’t know what to do. We have lost 9 birds in the last week. Something keeps ripping holes in the chicken wire and getting in. It’s killing the birds them eating them in the cage and dashing without the bodies. Last night my husband sat out and shot two coyotes, three skunks and two possums all heading towards the coop. This morning something got to the four chicks in a separate cage. It’s our fault we had just put up a new door that wasn’t very secure and it fell down. Left one body and took the rest. There was a separated foot and head from one of the chick bodies left also. I’m not sure what is doing this. Coyote? Skunk? We had a skunk in there before and all it ate were eggs though. What can chew a hole in chicken wire? Tomorrow we are going to reinforce with cattle wire hopefully that helps. I don’t know what else to do. We only have 5 hens left and a useless rooster.

 

[NightingaleJen]

Could it be a raccoon? I'm sorry about your birds. A lot of animals can chew through chicken wire, if that is actually what you used. Can you perhaps set up a trail cam?

 

[Painted Calls]

Like Jen said, just about anything can tear through chicken wire. It isn't meant to keep predators out, but to keep chickens in.

I would secure whatever birds you have left, and set up a trail cam. That will at least show you what is breaking in.

To prevent it from happening in the future, you'll need to put up predator proof fencing.

 

[cmom]

My guess would be a coon. If you have a game camera, put it up and then you will know what you're dealing with and can make a plan. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

I have electric wires around my coops and pens. Once a predator gets zapped they leave the wire alone. I see a lot of predators on my cameras and they will go around the coops and pens but won't touch the electric wire. Here the predators mostly come out at night and roam. Most predators/animals main sense is smelling with their nose usually to the ground (nose first). Again good luck...

 

[lobolinda]

Could it be a raccoon? I'm sorry about your birds. A lot of animals can chew through chicken wire, if that is actually what you used. Can you perhaps set up a trail cam?

Chicken wire isn't strong enough to keep out much over the strength of a weasel. Coyote, feral dogs, skunk & coon can all Rip up chicken wire with their mouths & feet. I use graduated pig fence( rigid wire panels) from the Feedstore that are about 6x16 foot. Bigger cost investment but going on 30 years without any loss or fencing replacement. I use chicken wire for the top to stop Raptors & owls or savvy coyotes. & run it on the inside of the base to prevent my little chicks escape.
I buried the fencing about a foot or you can use RR ties along the base to stop diggers. Takes a hefty bolt cutter to cut the panels to a shorter length, but its do-able for a women's strength with about 16" long bolt cutters from walmart.

 

[jk_olive_MI]

I have electric wires around my coops and pens. Once a predator gets zapped they leave the wire alone. I see a lot of predators on my cameras and they will go around the coops and pens but won't touch the electric wire. Here the predators mostly come out at night and roam. Most predators/animals main sense is smelling with their nose usually to the ground (nose first). Again good luck...

how do you keep the birds off it? They just learn?

 

[cmom]

They don't get on it. I don't free range anymore because of losses in the past to predators even though I was out with the birds. They have nice large pens and when I have opened the gates to let them out they may come out but briefly but usually stay in their pens because our land is mostly open pasture and the birds have shade trees in their pens and would rather be in the shade.

 

[cmom]

Since this picture was taken we have added another coop on this end. We moved the wires as we also added another pen. There are still three wires and nothing has tried to get through the wires.

 

[NatalieP]

As some mentioned above, chicken wire isn't predator proof. Install hardware cloth around the run and bury some to deter digging predators. We use 1/2" × 1/2" and a thicker gauge.