two more gone

[nikijack]

Hi: I lost two beautiful hens in two days. No evidence of ingress or egress. The havaheart trap had the bait eaten, but did not trip.I don't know what to do. When it's warmer, I'll make a fortress with hardware cloth. I thought of bringing her inside last night, suppose I should have. Maybe 25 in the last 3 or 4 years.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am so sorry for your losses! What a terrible thing to have happen....


I know a lot of folx on here use game cams to catch glimpses of what they are dealing with. Any evidence left behind at all? Predator tracks? What kind of damage did your hens suffer?

Full disclosure: I'm a pretty novice chicken keeper, and I have yet to deal with this. But I do know what others in similar circumstances have shared.

 

[Sequel]

Hi: I lost two beautiful hens in two days. No evidence of ingress or egress. The havaheart trap had the bait eaten, but did not trip.I don't know what to do. When it's warmer, I'll make a fortress with hardware cloth. I thought of bringing her inside last night, suppose I should have. Maybe 25 in the last 3 or 4 years.

I'm so sorry! What an awful thing to happen! Where are you located?

 

[nikijack]

Hi: Thanks for your words. I'm near Markdale Ontario. This time around, the chickens were taken away and eaten. All I found were feathers. I had sealed the coop solidly. Don't have a clue. It's happened many times before, coons, possums, and weasels. I might go electric.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Electric should stop most things outside of bears and really large ground predators. If it took your whole chickens, I'd think it was fox or coyote. Or even a dog. I think they'll carry off an entire hen and leave little evidence whereas others, like raccoon, will leave bodies (or parts there of).

Again, I am terribly sorry this happened. I hope you can thwart whatever's taking your hens.

 

[Sequel]

Hi: Thanks for your words. I'm near Markdale Ontario. This time around, the chickens were taken away and eaten. All I found were feathers. I had sealed the coop solidly. Don't have a clue. It's happened many times before, coons, possums, and weasels. I might go electric.

Electric fencing is a great tool! I have a 6 foot woven wire field fence with hardware cloth probably 2 1/2 to 3 feet on the bottom dug in about a foot and bent out to form an anti dig apron. Right above the hardware cloth is the hot wire. We got a heavy snow last month and although I saw coyote tracks in the snow in other parts of the property, the only tracks anywhere near my chicken/garden compound were from deer.

When you install it, cut little strips of aluminum foil and smear a little peanut butter on them and crimp them here and there on that hot wire. Or even just one or two depending on how big an area you have. This helps "train" the wildlife, also dogs or what have you. Especially if they've dined at your place before, they need to be attracted to the wire itself to have their "aversion therapy" session! It seems nothing can resist peanut butter!

I'm so sorry you've had to go through this, I hope you can have happier times ahead with chickens!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet girls! Bear hugs!

 

[nikijack]

i came home late and found a large dead skunk in the kennel.

 

[Sequel]

i came home late and found a large dead skunk in the kennel.

Wow! Do you think the skunk was the perp or another victim?

 

[nikijack]

The skunk was in the kennel. Yes, it was the perp.