So, so sad, horrible morning.

[catlvr976]

I went out to let my chickens out and as I got closer, I did not hear their usual noises, our duck Lolo (formerly known as LolA--found out recently she was a HE) was quiet.

I opened the door to just a horrible scene.

ALL of my chickens, except one little young one, dead.

I saw the killer, a nasty raccoon. I wish I could have killed him. He ran out when I opened the door.

Horrible. He got in through the window. He had pried the wire away just enough to get in. I feel so horrible for my poor chickens. Thank goodness I didn't send my oldest dd out to let them out like I normally do.

My kids are so sad. We were getting so excited b/c the older ones, there were 7, would have been 18 weeks old on Wed. So close to laying. The others, there were 8 babies, had just turned 7 weeks yesterday, we hatched them. Lolo and our new baby mallard I just got about 2 weeks ago. I felt so bad for the lone survivor. I gave her to our neighbor to hold for now.

So I need to figure out a way to reinforce the wire on the window so this doesn't happen again.

My kids and I will always remember our Bertha the Brahma (everybody loved her), Elizabeth, my oldest dd's white rock, Martha, my second dd's gold lace wyandotte, Rose, my 3rd dd's barred rock, Penny (our EE), Mabel (our b orp), our unnamed red hen (my kids couldn't decide on a name), and our as yet unnamed babies (because we didn't know if they were boys or girls) Lolo and our baby mallard.

I am much more sad than I ever thought I'd be over chickens and ducks.

I hate going outside to how quiet it is.

Here's to starting over.....AGAIN. Don't even know if I should get any more this year b/c it'll be just fall when they would start laying.

 

[speckledhen]

Sorry for the horror.
If you use hardware cloth (1/2 or 1/4" heavy guage wire) and fix it down with screws backed by washers, no raccoon can get in.


Was it chicken wire? If so, never use that useless stuff again. It lets anything inside!

Also, I keep a baby monitor in my coop with the receiver in the bedroom at night. You'd have heard it happening and been able to stop it.

 

[catlvr976]

I will use that hardware cloth next time. Good idea on the washers, as well. I learned my lesson.

I just can't believe he got all except for one.

 

[FeatherPainter]

So sorry, it made me cry.

 

[Jubilee1111]

Oh man catlvr976, I am so sorry. I have been having raccoon issues, too.

I feel so badly for your kids. They take those losses so hard. I think you should start again after you totally reinforce your coop. That remaining bird will be so lonely.

 

[catlvr976]

Yes, the windows are the part I was always kind of worried about. All the other parts are good, we had the nest box locked up good, the 2 doors we used were locked. I just in a million years never would've thought that something could get up there to get into the window.

FeatherPainter, you're not alone. I cried when I came upon the scene. I just keep thinking of what the poor things went through.

We will get more. I will get that hardware cloth and use the screws and washers. I never thought of that. Now I know. It's sad and I am so sorry our poor chickens had to pay the price for my mistake.

The lone chick went to our neighbors for now, in case the vile raccoon comes back tonight. They have chickens and the room for her. I will try and rehome her; but at least she won't be lonely.

 

[Cetawin]

Set a live trap because it will be back. Their habit is usually every other night. I made a hardware cloth window in a gram the is hinged and closes over my window on the inside and latches on the inside. I can now leave my Windows opened without worry.

I am so sorry for you losses.

 

[ChickenLove6]

Aww, I'm so sorry to hear that! My 2 cockerels, dave and kye were killed last year by a fox.
This year the fox came back he managed to kill my little Shannanea, who had only just started laying, before I could save her.
I managed to rescue my silkie and welsummer though x

 

[Jaxon4141]

Yes, the windows are the part I was always kind of worried about. All the other parts are good, we had the nest box locked up good, the 2 doors we used were locked. I just in a million years never would've thought that something could get up there to get into the window.

FeatherPainter, you're not alone. I cried when I came upon the scene. I just keep thinking of what the poor things went through.

We will get more. I will get that hardware cloth and use the screws and washers. I never thought of that. Now I know. It's sad and I am so sorry our poor chickens had to pay the price for my mistake.

The lone chick went to our neighbors for now, in case the vile raccoon comes back tonight. They have chickens and the room for her. I will try and rehome her; but at least she won't be lonely.

My folks always use to tell me that if the hardware cloth didn't rap around something then it should be battened down. They screwed thin wood strips all along any hardware cloth edge that was exposed.

 

[TeamChaos]

I am so sorry- it was a similar scene a few weeks back when I went to open my daughter's banty pen. Eerily quiet and I opened the door to a horrible scene. I had the same situation- hardware cloth over a vent space that I thought was secure and couldn't imagine how anything could get up there to test it... I was wrong. I was sad for the fate of the chickens on my watch but I was doubly mad that the predator chose my daughter's birds. We put a live trap in the coop the next nite and I caught a big, nasty coon. My daughter wanted to skin it, but we settled on her being present for the execution. She understands that nature is nature, but being proactive about the problem gave us something to do in our grief. We've revamped our other coops and we've been checking the creek for tracks every day. All the best for you and yours, these losses are pretty hard to take.