Unknown predator

[brecon.hens]

Hi

Just to give you an idea. I have a secure hen house with a door on timers. my initial chicken run I believe is secure with chicken wire and secure door. Today I left he door open so my hens had a direct run out to my small orchard.

At 6am the door opened and they ran out into the orchard. At 8am I went down to check on them and found 4 dead. all with small puncher wounds on their necks. My orchard has standards stock wire fence and what ever attached them tried to pull one through but failed so chewed the head off. Any ideas what the predator might be and what do I need to do please?

I don't want to buy new hens until I feel their secure.

 

[Cyprus]

Mink. Those wounds and behaviour are the MO for minks.

The best thing that you can do is cover your run and coop with 1/4" hardware cloth. You can't stop minks from attacking when your birds are free ranging, there's nothing you can do. Those creatures are ruthless and can decimate an entire flock in minutes.

 

[Howard E]

Mink. Those wounds and behaviour are the MO for minks.

The best thing that you can do is cover your run and coop with 1/4" hardware cloth. You can't stop minks from attacking when your birds are free ranging, there's nothing you can do. Those creatures are ruthless and can decimate an entire flock in minutes.

This...^^^^^......X2. Mink, weasel or one of the cousins.

Next question........do you have any known issues with rats and mice in or around your coop?

Do you live close to a small stream or creek?

Minks, weasels, etc. are one of nature's most vicious killers. Their place in nature is to control rodents and they are hard wired to kill endless numbers of victims. They don't normally seek out chickens, but will kill them if they find them. As in kill them all.The way they go about killing their victims is to sever the spine at the base of the skull on the back of the victims neck......which is why the bites on the back of the neck, or in some extreme cases, the head is ripped off entirely.

Prevention includes eliminating rodents that attract them in the first place, PLUS creating a chicken house/coop/run that is a physical barrier to entry. Something they can't get in no matter what, which is no easy trick. These guys can dig and climb with the best of them.....and are built to pursue rodents, so can go anywhere a rat can go...which is almost everywhere. So no holes anywhere that is larger than an inch.

Lastly, once a predator like this finds birds to kill, they often return. That one.....the one doing the killing......can trapped and killed. It will eventually be replaced by a cousin who will move in to the territory vacated when you killed it's relative, but the new guy may not know about chickens yet.

 

[brecon.hens]

This...^^^^^......X2. Mink, weasel or one of the cousins.

Next question........do you have any known issues with rats and mice in or around your coop?

Do you live close to a small stream or creek?

Minks, weasels, etc. are one of nature's most vicious killers. Their place in nature is to control rodents and they are hard wired to kill endless numbers of victims. They don't normally seek out chickens, but will kill them if they find them. As in kill them all.The way they go about killing their victims is to sever the spine at the base of the skull on the back of the victims neck......which is why the bites on the back of the neck, or in some extreme cases, the head is ripped off entirely.

Prevention includes eliminating rodents that attract them in the first place, PLUS creating a chicken house/coop/run that is a physical barrier to entry. Something they can't get in no matter what, which is no easy trick. These guys can dig and climb with the best of them.....and are built to pursue rodents, so can go anywhere a rat can go...which is almost everywhere. So no holes anywhere that is larger than an inch.

Lastly, once a predator like this finds birds to kill, they often return. That one.....the one doing the killing......can trapped and killed. It will eventually be replaced by a cousin who will move in to the territory vacated when you killed it's relative, but the new guy may not know about chickens yet.

 

[brecon.hens]

Hi thank you.

I've never had problems with rats until 4 months ago and still have which Im trying to address. You think that the mink maybe interested in the rats but then saw the chickens?

I've reproofed the small enclosure (1.3 cm aviary mesh f lover half) and I have an igloo chicken hut within it. Hope that will do but the larger area is as it was and that's where they were killed. Going to try and proof that more with 1.3cm aviary mesh but only for 900mm high..
lets hope that works as well as catching the rats

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Probably something in the weasel family! Sorry for your loss

 

[Howard E]

Hi thank you.

I've never had problems with rats until 4 months ago and still have which Im trying to address. You think that the mink maybe interested in the rats but then saw the chickens?

Sorry I didn't explain this as well as I should have. Yes, it is entirely likely that what attracted the notice of the mink or weasel.......could be either.......was the rats. Fish and game agencies make a big deal out of the fact that weasels, etc. and normally NOT (???) a threat to chickens, dining almost exclusively on rodents. Rats, mice, moles, gophers, etc. So what attracts them to begin with are large concentrations of rodents. They come for the rats, but being opportunistic killers, will transition to the birds and kill them too. And once they get started, they go into a killing frenzy, attacking anything that moves, which is why you may find a whole pen full of dead birds........not eaten....only dead.....with the only visible sign of damage being bites to the back of the head and neck.......and maybe puncture wounds under the wings....where they dig in with their toes to hang on to their wildly flailing victim until they can kill it.

So among other things, your job of establishing protection is to go to work on the rats. And traps won't do it. When used alone, traps are totally futile. Rat control requires a combination of many things, but limiting physical access to the coop, along with limiting access to the feed are needed for starters. And almost always, it will also require the controlled use of rat poisons. A lot of people object to using poisons, but a lot of people continue to have rats until they do.

 

[Howard E]

Is that chicken wire it pulled that coot through? So much for chicken wire being any help......

 

[happyfrenchman]

I don't have an opinion on what it is that killed your birds.... but I will chip in that 6 am is in my experience too early and that waiting til 9am will be safer. Otherwise mostly nocturnal predators might still be about early in the morning.