Unknown Predator

[Bridget399]

I am currently keeping my young Gineas in the chicken pen, until they are fully grown. They were making alot of noise in the middle of the night last night so, i snuck into the kitchen and opened my door and turned on the spotlight. I saw nothing. So i got my shoes on and called my dog and were went walking over there.

The dog scared something into the woods. I never saw it until we were so close to it (thank god nothing happened to my dog- I would've never put her in harms way). But she didn't really "chase" it very fast... It sort of limbered off...

The animal was silent, and very dark, and half the size of my dog (she's 85 lbs., built like a big lab). I have seen foxes and possums in my yard, but not reciently. And I hear coyotes every night about a mile or so away- they are prevalent in this immediate area. And bears... I assume that if it were any of the mentioned, they would have fought with my dog. There is no damage to the pen or the coop, and all the birds are untouched.

Does anyone have any idea what it could have been?
The game camera is going out tonight!

I should mention that the pen is chain link reinforced with chicken wire, the chain link is burried 6 inches deep, and back filled with rock and brick.

 

[jhm47]

Coon.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

I would suspect a large coon or a coyote.

 

[carrlr]

Coon, and I suspect it will return.

 

[zazouse]

Do you have wild hogs in your area?

45 pounds would be to big IMO for coon,possum,or fox and a bob would not just limber off.

 

[chkn]

Any time the chickens get noisy at night spells TROUBLE. I'd get out there lickety split!

 

[Bridget399]

Well, the Guineas sound the alarm at any reason, they threw a noisy fit the first time they saw rain. But, I knew something was around if it happened in the middle of the night. My husband did not get to put up the game camera because he worked overtime. The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking stray dog. For my dog to get right up to it and not be attacked gives me reason to believe it was something somewhat friendly. Whatever it was, it didn't come back last night, atleast the Guineas never "sounded the alarm". We will be getting the camera out there tonight, though.

 

[Bridget399]

Quote:
No we don't have any wild hogs up here! And I would surely have a heart attack if we did! LOL!
I thought that was big for a coon or possum, but I would say that a fox could be half the size of my dog... maybe...

 

[mangled]

Not sure what part of PA you're in, but we're in western PA, north of Pittsburgh, and coons and coyotes are a huge problem. Coyotes aren't usually dark, and if it seemed to lumber, it's probably a big old coon. We get some BIG coons out of our traps.

Hope it wasn't a bear. Bears are big troubles when it comes to coops.

Blessings-
Em

 

[Bridget399]

Quote:
Our neighbor just informed us that one of the packs of coyotes is an all black pack... Never heard of that before, but this neighbor isn't one to tell stories. The way it limbered was like a fat dog or a bear cub. Maybe an injured fox, it wasn't fast enough to be a healthy one. I am in Westmoreland Co.