strange repeated chicken and chick murders. (graphic)

[Sillystunt]

wow, they are more expensive then i thought! YIKES webcam?? IDK

 

[mikescanlon]

Quote:
i would be happy if it just stopped.

i usually get 7 for quail, and 15 for the chickens though.

but i've only sold regular breed roosters, i think these cornish could have pulled down 20. most of the roosters were under 5 pounds, and going for 15.

found a place with 5 acres and a trailer for 650 a month, about what i'm paying now.

i've talked to the guy, he seems unsure about the chicken thing, but he says he'll call me back.

 

[cmjust0]

Expensive webcams and game cams and all that sorta stuff are cool and can definitely be handy in determining what's killing your animals, but they don't deter anything...they just tell you who/what is doing the damage after it's done.

Since you're already fairly certain it's a neighbor kid, and since stopping it is all you're interested in doing, then it sounds to me like a $5 padlock is the answer..

 

[Uppity Peon]

If it's a neighborhood he has to be caught. He could turn out to be a serial killer. This is way more important than a few chickens. Get the cops involved.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Yep, little a--hole could be a serial killer in the making, especially if he is a bed wetter.

Small animal torture + bed wetting = case for serious concern and if the kid has any fire bug or pyromaniac tendencies the authorities will pee themselves.

 

[LarryPQ]

Isn't sad how we all are ready to pummel the serial-killer-in-the-making and wonderful how we are ready to take up arms to defend our peeps?

If you are able to move, awesome. If not, find a DIFFERENT 12-year-old who will set up a camera and electronics for trade or cheap. Or try craigslist for a camera.

You could get an airhorn to trigger when the coop is disturbed...although that might give your remaining flock a heart attack. Still, I like the idea of some mean kid wetting his pants when "La Cuckaracha" starts blaring in the middle of the night.

I am not nice people...

 

[AHappychick]

I dont know but I dont think a kid or person is doing it. all these posts and no pics of your set up. I think it is a bunch of coons or assorted creatures that are feasting away. Once they find a place with food they dont stop and will become aware of pens that before seemed safe and were not bothered.

Could you post pics so we can see what this "person" or animal is getting into?

 

[Suziers]

It is wrong to hope it is a dog? The thought of a human taking part in such carnage is depressing.

 

[mikescanlon]

Quote:
well, if you read all of the thread, and i know there is alot now.

i have a gate, it has a latch, that latch was opened, unlatched, then closed and relatched, birds were taken out of the pen and i found footprints and dogprints.

also, my gate to the fenced in area was opened and closed, i put a small container of feed near the gate so if it were opened, it would be moved, and it was moved both last night, and this morning. both times the gate was closed when i went in there.

i need to camera this fool.

i'll go take pics of the setup right now.

 

[mikescanlon]

this is a picture of dora

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

this is the open area my meat ducks and meat chickens were in at the time of the 75 chicks deaths, when they were smashed, twisted, and pulled apart from each other.

this area is easily visable from the kids house that i suspect.

not one meat bird or duck was missing this particular day, they didn't even seem flustered or anything, they came up to me, and enjoyed feeding time like usual.

i had no problems in this area with any kinda critters, and my meaties were really happy with being in this area too.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


some of the fencing material i have, it has 1/2 chicken wire on the bottom 4 feet, please dont make fun of it, i dont have alot of money, and i think under regular circumstances, this would be sufficient. i recycled all this wood from craigslist for 100 bucks for all of it, including the 1/2 chicken wire.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

this is my "gate", the white board was previously used in my brooder as a wind gaurd on the long side, now it's being used as a taller gate to keep the "dogs" and "racoons" out, at least a little more.

however, for a long time, i didn't have this fence at all, and i had no problems with critters.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


this is the little feed bin i had next to the gate, first pic is how i left it, second pic is how i found it, someone swung the gate open.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

this is my "brooder" it usually has the backboard on it, but i have removed that to use it for the "gate" i reuse alot of materials.

the metal panel is about 25 pounds or so, the wood is about 10 pounds, after all the chicks were smashed harmed or killed, the wood and metal were exactly how they look in this picture, not moved at all, and the meat chickens in the open pen, unharmed.

the brooder was behind my coop at the time, visability would have been low if any from the street or other house.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

this is the latch that was opened, and closed TODAY in order for my most recent 4 chickens to be killed, 3 are completely missing, one is missing the head, i found the head inside the coop.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

the rest are just pictures of my birds, one of them caught his skin on something, or was hit with something, and a big chunk of his skin is just regular thigh meat, exposed, it's already scabbed over, so i think the attack was between 8-10am this morning. i didn't go to work until 6.30 today, and everyone was happy at 6.30 but the gate was opened and closed last night, sometime during the night.


they are soo scared of me now, i cant even get a decent picture, i feel terrible. i like to raise meat birds to eliminate the brutal meat industry, not perpetuate worse practices.

i plan to get a lock for my coop, i have one around, i'm going to throw it on there.