The Latest Would-Be Chicken Thieves, Caught On Film

[ninjapoodles]

Sooooo frustrating to see, yet informative:

OK--the white fence is around the chicken yard and coop. There's wire fencing and hot-wire around that. We've never had a breach since the hot-wire's been there, but we did have an enormous massacre the one night I forgot to shut it up. Learned my lesson. Anyway, in this pic, look at the lower right corner. See that butt and tail right in the camera? 'Possum.

This one's harder to make out in the dark, but look in the middle of the shot, and see what's facing away from the camera, sniffing at the gate. Fox! No doubt the same one that killed 23 chickens on the night I failed security duty.

At first, we thought those glowing orbs in the upper right of the frame were the eyes of a raccoon in a tree, but since they're in both these pics (they're not in all the pics, though), in the exact same spot, I doubt it now.

 

[chikenlady]

WOW! All kinds of preditors on the prowl! Very scary...hope all your birds stay safe!

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Yikes....a fox! What kind of camera system are you using? Nice to know for sure what is prowling around at night.

I know my latest is another racoon because I saw it but several years ago a fox was killing my free rangers. I didn't know it until the thing was hit by a car while running down the road carrying one of my roosters! One less...that I didn't have to deal with.

 

[ninjapoodles]

My husband uses the cameras for hunting--he puts them around his stands/blinds for deer and turkey hunting for a few weeks before the season starts, to keep track of what's coming around. I think he got some from Cabela's, the brand name is Moultie or something like that, but he says for the best deal to shop EBay for wholesalers. They really are pretty great to have. We also have motion-sensor alarms, so we know when something is moving around out there. We can't use baby monitors because the chicken yard is too far from the house. So the alarm we use is a driveway alarm (which means that right now, I don't know when someone is coming down the driveway!).

Belinda

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Creepy glowing eyes... Could be an owl?

 

[ninjapoodles]

Whatever the "eyes" are, they never moved in any of the pictures--BUT, about half the time they weren't there. So either something was very still, and blinking, or it was a reflection off of something. I'm going to check it out today before it gets dark.

Here's a thread where I posted some of the OTHER predators we've "caught on film." Very enlightening!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=57254

 

[bills]

My first thought was an owl as well. Too bad he wouldn't eat the possum...

Your hunter husband should get out there with his .22 rifle, and a good flashlight one night. It would be good practice for him...Or get a big dog that patrols the yard.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
I know!

He's a really good shot (seeing his accuracy was what helped me, in the beginning, accept the whole "killing Bambi" thing, which I have since completely done a 180 on, especially since we've been cooking with the venison), but he hasn't been too keen on sitting out all night waiting on the fox. He's nailed several raccoons just by going out when the motion alarms sounds in the house, because they don't tend to run away when you go outside--they just try to hide. We have some BOLD 'coons.

 

[ninjapoodles]

I've also thought hard about fencing in the entire "poultry area" (there's a huge pen next to the chicken-yard that the turkeys will go into when they're old enough, and a new chicken yard being built as well) and leaving a dog, most likely Delta, the one in the avatar pic right now, to patrol the yard. She has a CRAZY-high prey drive, but she's been zapped by the electric fence and now won't get within 10 feet of the chicken enclosure, so maybe she'd concentrate on intruders.