Starting to really worry about the safety of my birds. :(

[luvmychicknkids]

Quote:
LOL...oh, I didn't write that ON my chicken coop.

It was on the box it came in when I bought it.

I was just trying to explain what kind of enclosure it is and that it is SUPPOSED to be for chickens (I think it is more suited to rabbits personally). Cute idea with the snake sign, though.

And at my house, a distinct possibility!!! LOL

 

[dofnup]

Oh man oh man, what a horrible situation to be in. Just the thought of someone sneaking around my yard makes me double-check that my magazines are loaded. To know that they are messing with my pets ... ohhhhhhh

I am sending good vibes and hoping that your problem is of the non-human variety. I wholeheartedly agree that I would rather deal with an animal predator of any variety than with a human.

Be vigilant and be safe! And please keep us informed of any developments!

 

[Tala]

Yeah I read this thread and it has human written all over it. Raccoons make messes and leave tracks, and I highly doubt that they would leave the babies untouched, unless just maybe they couldn't reach that deep to the far back where the chicks ran away.

The fact that you didn't lose any eggs after locking the coop with a key is a real clue.

You said you had your doubts about shooting an animal, so that says to me I doubt you would shoot a person either.

What do you intend to do when you confront your intruder?? You say you're an hour away from the police so I think you had better brave up a little if you intend to be confronting major control freaks alone in the middle of the night.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Quote:
LOL....actually, I would have no problem shooting a person that was threatening our safety. Animals do what they do because they are animals. People do for so many sick and twisted reasons. I would shoot an animal if it was a threat to my safety, too. I just know that I can secure things where an animal can't get to them. A person has weapons, fire, tools.....things an animal can't use against me.

The past couple of nights have been quiet but both nights have also been very rainy (which also points to human predators). Yes, the eggs going untouched with the door locked certainly points to a human.

 

[PoultryPedia]

You might try putting the box the chicks were originally in back outside in its original spot--without chicks in it. And then monitor to see if anything/anyone bothers it. Then you can possibly obtain more info on the intruder without risking the chicks' safety in the process.
Best to you

It sounds like you're evaluating the situation and working on it wisely.

 

[Judy]

Laws vary so much from state to state about dealing with human interlopers. I would certainly look into how the laws are written in your state.

Does the intruder have to be in your house before you can shoot? Does he have to have a weapon? And so forth....

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Once when we had neighbors we weren't sure of we smeared Mineral Ice with some extra cayenne pepper mixed in onto the door we thought they were messing with. The person the next day with the red watery miserable looking eyes was the culprit!

We didn't have any real problem with them after that....

Make sure you wear appropriate protection yourself when messing with the stuff! And don't put your chooks back in until it is all completely cleaned off!

 

[la dee da]

Any updates?

 

[New adventure]

Just curious, did you ever figure out what was going on?

 

[luvmychicknkids]

No....it is really strange, since I started locking the coop and taking the key everything has just stopped. almost like they know I realized something strange was going on and didn't think it was worht the risk or something. Also, the only neighbor I felt was suspicious has started back working...he was laid off during the time all this was going on.