Something killed off most of our flock, Does someone know what it is ?

[ruth]

Quote:
I don't know how they taste but I have a funny story to share.

DH and I had just moved to this little town last year and every day we'd pass the tire/auto shop that has a professionally made metal sign out front that has a picture of a couple of raccoons on it and it says "Coons for sale" and a phone number. We used to debate on whether or not the sign meant real coons. I said it did since this is "little-town" Mississippi. DH claimed it did not, cause who would have a huge professional metal painted sign made for that. He claimed it must be a type of tire or auto part or something. Well one day he had to go to little shop to get a tire fixed and he asked about the sign. Sure enough, the guy pointed him to a big freezer and said "help yourself". The freezer was full of frozen coons.

So......they must taste pretty good to some folks.

 

[Kiadaisy]

I'm sorry about your birds... I agree it's probably a raccoon but I've also had possums climb fences to get to the hens.

 

[mxpres]

I found that digging hole with post hole diggers works great for burying your pest critters,make the hole as deep as the handles will allow,drop the carcass down the hole,,kick in a few inches if dirt,tamp it down,continue with this procedure untill the hole is full..kick in a bit more dirt,,cover with a heavy stone or anything heavy enough that a critter can,t move to prevent the carcasses from being dug up,,that way you have to dig only one hole

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Racoon! Had a big one kill one of my old pet cats early this morning, lost another one last year to a racoon.

Racoons are mean, nasty and will kill anything. I guess this last one was mad because all the chickens have been locked up and there was nothing to eat except my old long haired cat asleep in his dog house next to my front door. They pull the heads off chickens and rip the insides out of cats.

Will have a trap set and will also be waiting with my gun. Enough is enough.

 

[briana1975]

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[wdnboat]

while we were out of town for the 4th and a neighbor was watching the flock Sunday evening something got into the coop and took four hens and one mean rooster - rooster feathers all over the yard but no sign of the hens - earlier in the day 17 chicks went missing. Last night after securing the remaining four hens about 11pm a high pitched sqeal comes from the coop area - one mean coon in the run and now its dead (all those concerned with predators whould have a .22 handy). all hens fine.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Wow, I'm glad we don't have raccoons in my area. We've got bobcats, but they don't seem nearly as nasty. For the coop doors or windows, may I suggest that after you secure them with a lock, you attach one of those high-pitched squealing things? A friend found them at a dollar store here. I got one that attaches to a kids backpack so if he gets abducted, it will supposedly pull the pin out and make the horrible noise. I attached mine to a wire that runs along my fence, but it's not for coons or bobcats, it's for illegals!