Tragedy...

[ThreeOfSeven]

So sorry for your loss. Can't imagine the anguish you must be feeling. Have a friend who lost nearly her whole flock to a predator. Out of 8 or so hens, only 1 survived. Just horrific.

 

[BarredRockMom]

I doubt it. This was a cold and calculated vicious attack by a heartless blood thirsty tyrant. Bridget and Furious probably flew the coop as Mrs Dabs had her head torn clean off only to be tracked and hunted down and torn apart in a feather flying tornado of violence and pain. They will be avenged! Justice shall be served!

I am very sorry that this has happened to your girls! Your little hen must be terrified, which just breaks my heart.

That being said, THIS IS WAR!! I have a strict "kill them all" policy for varmits and trespassing animals who breach my perimeter. I have some suggestions, as it sounds like a raccoon. Kill him. Kill them all.

*Disclaimer: if you're already offended by reading this, don't continue.

Fair warning...last chance to look away or change the channel...

Ya know who loves marshmallows? Sneaky, thieving, murderous varmits. Ya know how to get the most outta your bag of marshmallows? Freeze 'em on a cookie sheet & pop 'em into a resealable bag.

Throw 3-5 into a cage type trap & wait. They go into the trap head first, my .22 brings 'em out feet first. I don't trap & release, unless you consider sending them into the light a type of catch & release.

You may feel free to PM me & ask if you'd like some other options.

Now, about that yard & coop. Is your yard covered? I didn't get the impression that it was, but I could be wrong & I haven't read all the way thru yet. I am guessing that you are working on that if it's not covered? In the mean time, have you considered electrifying your fence?

I bet someone on this site has done it & can share some tips!

 

[BarredRockMom]

I’m so sorry to read this. I am a novice but my friend had about 2 dozen hens and raccoons got into the enclosure and killed many of them. It happened over 3 nights. He was so distraught, not sure what had happened and put a camera up ... it showed a band of raccoons. Sounds like what likely got you poor girls

And this is why I kill them all.

 

[cmom]

I need a camera. I can't lose my last girl! I guess I'm hunting this weekend.

Cameras are great. What ever killed your birds is likely to be back. I have several around on my property. Somehow a fox got into one of pens through a gate and killed a couple of birds a few nights ago. I hadn't lost a bird to a predator prior in several years but I have electric wire around my coops and pens/runs, concrete under the gates because a fox dug under a gate some years ago and killed some birds and heavy duty netting covering all of my pens. I am careful about latching the gates but must not have latched it well because the gate was open and the electric wire by the gate was down. I fixed it then a couple of early mornings ago a coyote was at the same coop and pens.

 

[BeerNChicken]

My pen is not enclosed. I was planning on redesigning it in the spring due to a construction project that's going to happen where the current pen sits. I'm a bad chicken dad. I've done the catch and release in the past but this varmint drew first blood. He came back too the next night but my shepherd scared him off. I'm relocating my last remaining chicken and then I'll set a series of traps. I never tried marsh mellows. I usually use fried chicken bones.

 

[cmom]

It will keep coming back. I have a live trap out but it won't go in it even though it's covered with branches. I'm leaving it there so the fox will get used to seeing it there. I see the fox on at least one camera most nights but not by that coop lately. I have the leg traps ready.

 

[cmom]

From the video, it appears that the coyote recognized the hot wire. It may have been zapped before.

 

[llombardo]

Where about in Chicago?

I also live in the western suburbs. It could be a raccoon, skunk, oppossum, weasel, mink to name a few.

My worst fear is coming home at night. I fly home. I have a run that is hardware cloth from top to bottom, covered by heavy duty net, hardware cloth two feet out on the ground and an electric fence. I really can't add anything else.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Hardware cloth, net, apron, and electric fence should be just about predator-proof. Heck, if the electric fence is set up right, that'll keep out bears!

 

[cmom]

Cameras are great. What ever killed your birds is likely to be back. I have several around on my property. Somehow a fox got into one of pens through a gate and killed a couple of birds a few nights ago. I hadn't lost a bird to a predator prior in several years but I have electric wire around my coops and pens/runs, concrete under the gates because a fox dug under a gate some years ago and killed some birds and heavy duty netting covering all of my pens. I am careful about latching the gates but must not have latched it well because the gate was open and the electric wire by the gate was down. I fixed it then a couple of early mornings ago a coyote was at the same coop and pens.

I've changed my mind, now I think it was a coyote that killed a couple of my birds recently. It was back last night and did mess with the gate but didn't get it to open because I had wired it shut. It did attempt to dig under the fence momentarily but gave it up probably because it got zapped. I put another camera up today in another spot for another view so if it comes back hopefully I'll get some good pictures. I did bury some ½x½ hardware cloth. I dug a foot deep trench along the side of the pen that the coyote attempted to dig. The hardware cloth I had was a foot wide so I hog ringed the hardware cloth to the bottom of the fence wire, so it's now down a foot in the ground. I think the electric wire did it's job but this one is persistent probably because it was the predator that killed the birds recently and not the fox. The night of the kill, the only predator I got on the camera, was the fox.
It's been foggy at night lately.