SOMEONE is killing my hens

[am040608]

Do you mean a small Chihuahua mixed dog like the one in this surveillance video that is attacked by a hawk?



Now I to have had enough of the opinions expressed on this thread.

Im sorry but I dont have any idea what a dog being attacked by a hawk has to do with anything? ? I never blamed the dog. I in Fact stated he was a harmless little dog.
The only time i mentioned a dog was to make note that their dog had turned up missing and they came over asking if we had seen him...
So im confused

 

[dlp40]

I am sorry for your loss and the circumstances surrounding the whole thing. Based on the pic that cut looks very smooth and most likely happened in 1 motion, auggesting a very sharp blade. Also a broken neck on the roost also suggests human activity.
Please invest in a camera or two and video your property for a while. Cameras, even dummy cameras, deter a lot of criminal activity. Also if it happens again or worse something happens worse, video will help catch the perpitrator.
I hope your luck changes fast and for the better. Please get some cameras.

 

[happyfrenchman]

To me... it sounded like a kid was doing it after your description of the clean cut headless carcass. For some reason, there is alot of real weird craziness on this particular thread......I don't blame you for getting confused.
This kid likely has a history of psychopathology ahead of him... right now all you want is to keep him from killing your pets... I would call the police or at least the mother and father of this kid and tell them the next step will be the police. No weapons would need to be involved. You don't have to prove anything.... if this kid is doing this, it will likely confirm suspicions the parents already have. And he will know that you know. So hopefully he will stop. And keep locking your coop and any other animals you can secure.

People should take the time to read the initial posts on these threads. You can see how a wild goose chase can develop quite easily. The initial post tells of a bird with head twisted completely around and placed back on a nest. That is a human action....and even the headless carcass with the clearly smooth knifelike wound would rule out most predation. And I know alot about raptors and their kills and they invariably leave feathers around the carcass if they are able to start feeding.

 

[HnkyDnkyZZFarm]

People trap time. First, private property, no trespassing sign. Someone on your property when you aren't around isn't just a security risk, it's a liability issue. The sign acts in theory, as informed consent if they don't heed it. That's not on legal guarantee though, just what I've been told by random persons. If someone fell down on your property for instance and you weren't with them on your property, I'm not sure how that would work.

I would set a sprinkler at about 4ft high (pvc stem) with a motion detector. You can get solar ones. Heck, I'd probably do four, one each corner of the yard and set the sensors to catch anything 4ft tall or taller and turn them on when you're away from home. If I were really going to get creative I'd find a way to rig dye inside the PVC stem and see if you can paint your perp.

If I were going to go this far, I might try to find or borrow a cheap security cam to capture the excitement.

 

[ivan3]

People trap time.  First, private property, no trespassing sign.  Someone on your property when you aren't around isn't just a security risk, it's a liability issue.  The sign acts in theory, as informed consent if they don't heed it.  That's not on legal guarantee though, just what I've been told by random persons.  If someone fell down on your property for instance and you weren't with them on your property, I'm not sure how that would work.

I would set a sprinkler at about 4ft high (pvc stem) with a motion detector.  You can get solar ones.  Heck, I'd probably do four, one each corner of the yard and set the sensors to catch anything 4ft tall or taller and turn them on when you're away from home.  If I were really going to get creative I'd find a way to rig dye inside the PVC stem and see if you can paint your perp.

If I were going to go this far, I might try to find or borrow a cheap security cam to capture the excitement.

If the ID by OP becomes a certainty? Caught in the act? Paint ball gunnned and call to sheriff. However, BYC members are nothing if not determined.

Rooster-Red & Panner123 apparently "bagged" the hominids:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/15538/predator-on-two-legs-may-offend-some

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/75881/chicken-thief-caught

(just putting in a good word for ADVANCED SEARCH function - declare your "variables" and always click on the SEARCH button at the BOTTOM of the Screen)

 

[birds4kids]

Most of time when a mammalian predator consumes it licks up the blood as it goes. Raptors often kill causing blood flow to stop before they consume which means very little blood. I have seen many animal kills on chickens, likely more than most, and have taken time to not only document kills but also get positive ID on predator. This thread is evolving into a witch hunt based on very sloppy and possibly predisposed judgement on a neighbor kid. This my last post on this thread. TOO MUCH NUTCASE ACTION!

Thank you.
A knife cut leaves a lot of blood, predators don't.

That said trail cameras are great entertainment and in this case could be peace of mind.

My kids love seeing what is in the yard when we aren't.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Did you ever consider the chicken was killed elsewhere and only the headless carcass was tossed to be found... the blood is elsewhere.... read the womans posts.... the first one is really all you need... and the title is also a pretty good clue. And setting a "people" trap is a very bad idea. The camera is a good idea. (IMO). This kid is obviously a very disturbed individual and you do not want to accomplish anything but stop him from hurting your pets..... perhaps stress to the parent that you hope they find the chihuahua, but that you don't have him and that you will keep an eye out for him... god knows anything in the wild can make a meal out of a chihuahua.

My post count is goin thru the roof on this one..... I am over 200. I must be a chicken wizard.... LOL>

 

[bobbi-j]

I found one of my chickens dead in the yard last fall - looked an awful lot like the one in OP's picture. I don't have an angry neighbor kid. I live 1/2 a mile from my nearest neighbor. Mine was a bird of prey of some sort. OP, would you please post a picture of your setup? Is your run covered? Could something be getting in and out over a fence? I can't explain the broken neck, but I would definitely not say anything to the parents of the kid you're suspecting. Yeah, he sounds like a punk if the's throwing lit fireworks at people. I still would wait until I had concrete PROOF of anything else. Did you report the fireworks incident?

 

[am040608]

Since this post I've had 3 more chickens with broken necks. None with any wounds that I could find or blood anywhere. Two were found in the coop again, side by side roosting on eggs. And one was sitting in the middle of the run. That was when we decided to padlock or coop. Since putting the padlock on the coop we have not had a single incident.
If nothing else I feel that the issue is resolved because my chicken's are no longer dying. Whomever or whatever it was cannot kill through a locked gate. Good enough for me. I have my solution.

 

[birds4kids]

If a padlock stopped it you need to speak to law enforcement.