two dead chickens :(

[Georgeschicks]

we have had chickens for three years and recently got new chicks. we lost two chickens last night, the first ones we have ever lost during our time keeping chickens. we found one chicken dead in the middle of the run and one is missing. there are digging marks around the run but none were deep enough to allow access to the coop. there seems to be tries for entry from the top of the run and some string we had tied up there had been nibbled off. we can’t seem to find the exact point of entry. we have never locked our coop door, instead it is always open to the run, but the run was very well predator proof and nothing has ever gotten in before. we were thinking maybe raccoon? the dead chicken is missing a leg and there was a little blood. i can post a picture of her if that is helpful. i would just like to know what could have killed her so that we can better protect our chickens against it. thanks!

 

[Bear1978]

Can you attach a pic of the crime scene and surround environment (coop, chicken run, fence, enclosure, etc)?

 

[cmom]

My best guess probably a coon. My best advice is to put up a game camera. Years ago when I had my first losses, I invested in a game camera and was surprised at the predators that roam here mostly at night, bobcat, coons, fox, coyotes, possums, skunks, owls, dogs, cats, (hawks and eagles during the day). Since I have completely covered my pens put concrete under the gates and electric wire around the coops and pens. In some places I dug a foot deep trench along the bottom of the fence and buried some welded wire that I attached to the bottom on the fence with hog rings. I have had a couple of breaches through some of the netting I had covering the pens, an owl and a hawk, but immediately fixed them. I have been seeing a fox and a coyote lately around the coops but they know the electric wire is there. Good luck...

 

[Georgeschicks]

@Bear1978 Our coop/run setup is a little complicated right now because we are integrating four week old chicks. we originally only had the large green wire but found that baby chicks could stick their heads through (but not their bodies) so we temporarily added some hardware cloth. the green wire is dug down three feet and then folded sideways a foot a deter any digging. as you can see in the picture whatever was digging didn’t even get past the wood planks we have laid down.

we had some strings inside the coop holding up treats such as cabbage and those have been nibbled down. i don’t have pictures of that as we already cleaned it up.

 

[Georgeschicks]

My best guess probably a coon. My best advice is to put up a game camera. Years ago when I had my first losses, I invested in a game camera and was surprised at the predators that roam here mostly at night, bobcat, coons, fox, coyotes, possums, skunks, owls, dogs, cats, (hawks and eagles during the day). Since I have completely covered my pens put concrete under the gates and electric wire around the coops and pens. In some places I dug a foot deep trench along the bottom of the fence and buried some welded wire that I attached to the bottom on the fence with hog rings. I have had a couple of breaches through some of the netting I had covering the pens, an owl and a hawk, but immediately fixed them. I have been seeing a fox and a coyote lately around the coops but they know the electric wire is there. Good luck...

thank you! we will definitely consider that if there are any more break ins.

 

[Bear1978]

@Bear1978 Our coop/run setup is a little complicated right now because we are integrating four week old chicks. we originally only had the large green wire but found that baby chicks could stick their heads through (but not their bodies) so we temporarily added some hardware cloth. the green wire is dug down three feet and then folded sideways a foot a deter any digging. as you can see in the picture whatever was digging didn’t even get past the wood planks we have laid down.

we had some strings inside the coop holding up treats such as cabbage and those have been nibbled down. i don’t have pictures of that as we already cleaned it up.
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hmm

what’s covering the top of the run?

 

[cmom]

I didn't have quite enough of the heavy duty netting to completely cover my pens so I bought some other netting online which wasn't what I thought it was and an owl went through the netting three times. Each time it went through I replaced it with the same crappy netting because at the time that was all I had. The owl killed some birds. I moved the birds to another coop and pen and put up a camera. The owl came back and went through the netting again. I bought some good heavy duty netting and replaced the crappy netting. The owl came back but this time it got caught in the netting. DH and I managed to get it out and into a cage. We called some wildlife people who came and got it.

 

[Bear1978]

Are there any gaps or sagging spots in the netting that a critter could squeeze through? Is it mostly taunt with no slack?
How big is the spacing in the netting?

 

[hayley3]

we have had chickens for three years and recently got new chicks. we lost two chickens last night, the first ones we have ever lost during our time keeping chickens. we found one chicken dead in the middle of the run and one is missing. there are digging marks around the run but none were deep enough to allow access to the coop. there seems to be tries for entry from the top of the run and some string we had tied up there had been nibbled off. we can’t seem to find the exact point of entry. we have never locked our coop door, instead it is always open to the run, but the run was very well predator proof and nothing has ever gotten in before. we were thinking maybe raccoon? the dead chicken is missing a leg and there was a little blood. i can post a picture of her if that is helpful. i would just like to know what could have killed her so that we can better protect our chickens against it. thanks!

A missing chicken is usually a fox...and believe or not, that tiny hole in the picture is big enough for a fox to fit through and drag out the chicken. I would not believe it , if a fox had not taken my guinea through the same size hole. The ground evidently must give enough for them to squeeze under.

I found blood on the inside board where the fox dragged out the dead bird. So look for blood, although it may be too late now.

 

[Mmanist]

I didn't have quite enough of the heavy duty netting to completely cover my pens so I bought some other netting online which wasn't what I thought it was and an owl went through the netting three times. Each time it went through I replaced it with the same crappy netting because at the time that was all I had. The owl killed some birds. I moved the birds to another coop and pen and put up a camera. The owl came back and went through the netting again. I bought some good heavy duty netting and replaced the crappy netting. The owl came back but this time it got caught in the netting. DH and I managed to get it out and into a cage. We called some wildlife people who came and got it.
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I'd so let that owl eat my chickens. Lol I love owls! What a beautiful bird