The 9th Annual BYC Easter Hatchalong!

[ronott1]

Also forgot the cougar which I and my grandson have seen several times. I think the neighbor may have taken care of him. I do lose chickens from time to time. Part of it around here

Everything wants a chicken dinner!

 

[Happy Chooks]

*******Warning this description gets pretty graphic!!


It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.

The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.

Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.

It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.

We will be building a mink trap asap.

We have seen our mink pick up and carry off carcasses. It also has never killed more than one bird a night if it still had access to the carcass of the first. Our raccoon attack was circumstantial evidence and only quail in a tractor coop were killed. We have very few if any resident raccoons as the area has been cleared for farming. I have only seen two raccoons while living here one of which was the sickly one that we suspect killed the quail that I put down last fall as it wasn't acting right and had no fear.

In truth I'm very frustrated and playing the if only game, though I'm trying not to. Like if only I had locked the birds up sooner but that isn't fully accurate because she may have been killed on her way to the coop. All I know is my flock is terrified.

I'm sorry. I thought I had a mink problem. I had something killing my birds, lost 15 in 1 evening between 4-6pm in the fall. Bodies everywhere with broken necks, but a couple were headless. It was horrible. Then it started picking off 2-3 every few days a few months later. I would find the body because it couldn't get the birds through the fence. My dog and I stalked it, and I saw it a couple of times, but it was so darn fast that my eyes couldn't focus on it. It was smaller than a chihuahua, so the only thing I could think of was a weasel. Then I was informed by a wildlife biologist that we don't have weasels here.

It turns out it was a mother bobcat teaching her young to hunt. I can tell you a baby bobcat can kill and carry a chicken (rooster) 5-10 times their size. Bobcats will not stop once they find food. I ended up losing 23 birds total.

I had my first kids of 2018 last night.

View attachment 1312920

Awwww, they are adorable!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Once your hatch is completed, please post the total number of chicks you hatched for all types of fowl set for the Hatchalong.

Thank you!​

 

[ronott1]

I'm sorry. I thought I had a mink problem. I had something killing my birds, lost 15 in 1 evening between 4-6pm in the fall. Bodies everywhere with broken necks, but a couple were headless. It was horrible. Then it started picking off 2-3 every few days a few months later. I would find the body because it couldn't get the birds through the fence. My dog and I stalked it, and I saw it a couple of times, but it was so darn fast that my eyes couldn't focus on it. It was smaller than a chihuahua, so the only thing I could think of was a weasel. Then I was informed by a wildlife biologist that we don't have weasels here.

It turns out it was a mother bobcat teaching her young to hunt. I can tell you a baby bobcat can kill and carry a chicken (rooster) 5-10 times their size. Bobcats will not stop once they find food. I ended up losing 23 birds total.


Awwww, they are adorable!

I remember that!

 

[LadyCluck77]

I'm sorry. I thought I had a mink problem. I had something killing my birds, lost 15 in 1 evening between 4-6pm in the fall. Bodies everywhere with broken necks, but a couple were headless. It was horrible. Then it started picking off 2-3 every few days a few months later. I would find the body because it couldn't get the birds through the fence. My dog and I stalked it, and I saw it a couple of times, but it was so darn fast that my eyes couldn't focus on it. It was smaller than a chihuahua, so the only thing I could think of was a weasel. Then I was informed by a wildlife biologist that we don't have weasels here.

It turns out it was a mother bobcat teaching her young to hunt. I can tell you a baby bobcat can kill and carry a chicken (rooster) 5-10 times their size. Bobcats will not stop once they find food. I ended up losing 23 birds total.

Yikes!
What did you wind up doing? Are you allowed to kill them in your state- especially if you needed to take out 3-5 of them?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yikes!
What did you wind up doing? Are you allowed to kill them in your state- especially if you needed to take out 3-5 of them?

Yes, I was legally able to shoot her if I chose to. But, I didn't want to do that. She has her place in this world too. I don't blame her for trying to find food, but I didn't want her eating my chickens. So I had the wildlife biologist relocate her. She took her far enough away that she wouldn't come back, but not far enough that she would starve. The wildlife biologist told me that once a bobcat finds food, it will keep coming back until all food is gone.

 

[Cynthia12]

Of course, my first pip is at the wrong end, I mean, at the end. Tomorrow is day 20. Figured I would get some pips by tonight. I hope the rest do this right.

 

[NotAFarm]

Any ducks hatching yet?

 

[mlm Mike]

They are soooooo cute!!

Thanks!

 

[mlm Mike]

Congratulations!

Thanks, Ron!