The great Chicken Massacre of 2019

[chickenpal147]

We do have woods, but I was walking around back there calling and listening for them for a few hours. Our chickens usually come running when we call them but not this time.

 

[Ohio peepers]

Sometime in the early evening yesterday I had some kind of animal come and kill 8 of my chickens. We found 3 of the bodies where the other 5 are is a mystery. One of the chickens heads was severed and laying a few inches from the body. I kind of think it was a fox or a bobcat. It I’m not sure. Does anybody know what kind of animal would do that?

Wow! I am really sorry to hear. My brother has had an awful time with something getting into his coop at times, for him it was coons, as one day his wife saw a racoon in the coop next to a chicken it had killed. She went back in the house, got the gun and took care of it.

 

[Ohio peepers]

The only time we lost numerous chickens was to bears that attacked and broke the doors of the coop. We lost our entire flock of 15 except for two hens that hid and were quiet. We heard it happen and rushed out, but it was already over. We later searched and found the feathers and one dead headless hen up in the hills along with evidence of at least 3 bears. We built a new coop just like a house with a steel door and extra long deadbolt. This year the bears were back, but got nothin for their trouble! I'm so sorry for your loss, I know what that is like. Time to reinforce the coop and run. It's worth it!!

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How awful for you! I can't imagine seeing that. We don't have bears where we live but when I lived in Oregon (we didn't have chickens there), we lost two cats to what were probably coyotes as the neighbors later told us there was a path near there house the coyotes used where they regularly found cat legs, tails, etc. I'm glad the bears left empty handed this year and I hope they stop coming back!