We have been having the misfortune of dealing with a chicken thief over the past couple weeks. Mark's (My DH) beautifully designed coop had been keeping our 6 chickens safe for over 4 months, although the last protective bits had never been added. After we lost our first chicken, we figured we were dealing with a fox. We were careful for the next week to put the roof completely down, (The roof can come up for easy access) and thought it was a one time thing!
When a second chicken was taken, this time in a bit more of a bloody battle, we decided it was time to make sure the removable walls on the sides of the coop were more stable. Mark worked every day after work for a week securing the roof, and cutting more boards to make the walls stable. On Saturday night, I closed up the coop, latched all the latches, secured the roof down with bungee cords, and we went to bed feeling very secure about the safety of our chickens.
Oh, but not so.
Sunday morning, I look out, and see the walls all still in tact, and everything looks fine! Happy, I make my way out to feed and water them before getting ready for church. As I draw closer to the coop I notice lots of feathers had fallen from below the walls. Concerned I check the outside of the walls, and see blood. OH NO! I look into the coop only to find ALL four of our cute little chickens.... were not so cute anymore!
Every single one had been killed by beheading. WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN!? I run into the house, to tell Mark the bad news. All we did was make this thing mad, because the walls were so secure, it couldn't drag out it's prey! So it killed them all!
Boy did all this make getting ready for church difficult!
We found whatever this thing is, it must be VERY small. It's not a fox, a coyote, raccoon, fisher cat or an opossum, all the things we were prepared to deal with. We have got on our hands either a Mink, or a Weasel! We weren't prepared for those! There is a very small gap between the walls and the roof, to allow for ventilation. Well, this thing can get right in! After Sunday school, we left to make a run to the dump to officially "Bury" our chickens. We didn't want to bury them on our property and attract anything else! Then we set out to try and find a trap.
Yes, we are giving up on defense, and going on OFFENCE! This thing has eaten it's last chicken! (At least from our coop....because we don't have any more...
)
We bought a havaheart... (Although, we do NOT plan on having a heart when we catch this thing...) and researched trail cameras, and ordered one online. We baited the trap last night and left it in the coop, hoping whatever it was may come back to where it thought it left four meals!
Well, we turn off the lights at 10 pm, and let Our little pug dog Pogo out one last time before bed. Well, he immediately heard something in the leaves off to the side of the house, and started growling! Mark called him in right away! Whatever this thing is, is nasty, and wouldn't hesitate to go after a little pug like pogo. Thinking whatever it was had been scared off, we opened our bedroom windows to listen and see if it came before we fell asleep. We had BARELY laid down when we hear something scratching and crawling up the side of the coop and under the roof, and it went scratching around inside!!! That kind of freaked me out!
Soon, it went quiet, and we knew it had left without touching the bait in the trap. Ugh! The cage may have spooked it, and it left when it found no other food in the coop. We also researched mink and weasels, and they don't usually go for food that is already dead. Yay! -.- We may have to find a way to use live bait!? This is getting complicated!!!
We still don't know what it is. I can't wait to get the motion activated camera to find out! We will not stop trying to trap it! If anyone has any tips let us know! I hate thinking there is a nasty little thing living in such close proximity to my house!!!
Alas, we lost our little chicken friends. Twas very sad! We had just been getting very friendly with them as well, and I had just gotten up the nerve to name a couple of my favorites!
BUT! It is early in the year!
We shall secure the coop so NOTHING could ever get in, and buy some new little friends!
PLEASE if you have any hints and tips on how to trap this thing please let us know! We want to be rid of it. The next step if we can't lure it back is to call the Fish and Game Dept.
When a second chicken was taken, this time in a bit more of a bloody battle, we decided it was time to make sure the removable walls on the sides of the coop were more stable. Mark worked every day after work for a week securing the roof, and cutting more boards to make the walls stable. On Saturday night, I closed up the coop, latched all the latches, secured the roof down with bungee cords, and we went to bed feeling very secure about the safety of our chickens.
Oh, but not so.
Sunday morning, I look out, and see the walls all still in tact, and everything looks fine! Happy, I make my way out to feed and water them before getting ready for church. As I draw closer to the coop I notice lots of feathers had fallen from below the walls. Concerned I check the outside of the walls, and see blood. OH NO! I look into the coop only to find ALL four of our cute little chickens.... were not so cute anymore!
Every single one had been killed by beheading. WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN!? I run into the house, to tell Mark the bad news. All we did was make this thing mad, because the walls were so secure, it couldn't drag out it's prey! So it killed them all!Boy did all this make getting ready for church difficult!
We found whatever this thing is, it must be VERY small. It's not a fox, a coyote, raccoon, fisher cat or an opossum, all the things we were prepared to deal with. We have got on our hands either a Mink, or a Weasel! We weren't prepared for those! There is a very small gap between the walls and the roof, to allow for ventilation. Well, this thing can get right in! After Sunday school, we left to make a run to the dump to officially "Bury" our chickens. We didn't want to bury them on our property and attract anything else! Then we set out to try and find a trap.
Yes, we are giving up on defense, and going on OFFENCE! This thing has eaten it's last chicken! (At least from our coop....because we don't have any more...
We bought a havaheart... (Although, we do NOT plan on having a heart when we catch this thing...) and researched trail cameras, and ordered one online. We baited the trap last night and left it in the coop, hoping whatever it was may come back to where it thought it left four meals!
Well, we turn off the lights at 10 pm, and let Our little pug dog Pogo out one last time before bed. Well, he immediately heard something in the leaves off to the side of the house, and started growling! Mark called him in right away! Whatever this thing is, is nasty, and wouldn't hesitate to go after a little pug like pogo. Thinking whatever it was had been scared off, we opened our bedroom windows to listen and see if it came before we fell asleep. We had BARELY laid down when we hear something scratching and crawling up the side of the coop and under the roof, and it went scratching around inside!!! That kind of freaked me out!
Soon, it went quiet, and we knew it had left without touching the bait in the trap. Ugh! The cage may have spooked it, and it left when it found no other food in the coop. We also researched mink and weasels, and they don't usually go for food that is already dead. Yay! -.- We may have to find a way to use live bait!? This is getting complicated!!!
We still don't know what it is. I can't wait to get the motion activated camera to find out! We will not stop trying to trap it! If anyone has any tips let us know! I hate thinking there is a nasty little thing living in such close proximity to my house!!!
Alas, we lost our little chicken friends. Twas very sad! We had just been getting very friendly with them as well, and I had just gotten up the nerve to name a couple of my favorites!
BUT! It is early in the year!
PLEASE if you have any hints and tips on how to trap this thing please let us know! We want to be rid of it. The next step if we can't lure it back is to call the Fish and Game Dept.
