UPDATE...w/pics "Slaughter by a masked marauder...I think?" I Know!

[DelcoChix]

Baited a live trap last night (the night of the massacre) with the Layena pellets the marauder seemed to enjoy. The culprit returned to the scene of the crime. Look was waiting for us this morning:

He was tried, found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of poutryslaughter, and sentenced to death by lethal injection...of lead.
Re-set the trap again tonight but really (really) hope he was a solo act. As I mentioned below I am afraid I find it very sad to have to kill a wild creature that was just doing what came naturally--I know a lot of folks on BYC have no problem killing the predators that exist in their locales, and I agree with that, but only if they have crossed the line and I've done my part in trying to protect my feathered charges. I did, he did and now he's gone--still makes me sad, but somewhat relieved knowing he was the culpit. Why can't they just leave my girls alone?

Farewell Tia and Tess...you will be missed.

Rest in Peace, Pip and Sasha--you were special girls.

Guessing it's a raccoon that devastated my 13 year old dd this morning--came upstairs sobbing as she'd gone out to check on the 'girls' before school, only to find our "fun pen" had been invaded. Slaughtered and left in the coop, our favorite White Sultan, "Pip," who was one from our first batch of chicks three years ago, and "Sasha," a beautiful sq blue Silkie pullet my dd had purchased with her own hard earned money at the National Show last November....
Missing, the two (1) year old mottled black and blue bantam Cochins, "Tia" and "Tess," who'd been broody for 2+ weeks so far. No bodies, only feathers.
Horrible way to start the day (or end the day...)
What's really frustrating is the fact that whatever caused this chaos and heartbreak not only climbed over an 8' high fence (yes, it was open but this is for the main run for the big girls, they are in the big coop at night), then pushed open the door into the chain link dog kennel fence (which was covered by wire and tarp and also had a second layer of chicken wire 2 feet high and another foot in the ground), and THEN managed to lift up the guillotine door to the small coop and go in and destroy the sleepy, defenseless girls. Then retrace it's steps and take the two cochins away--couldn't find them anywhere, but we're next to a fencerow and a large soybean field....
Feel awful for my dd--these were her pets, her fun birds....and we thought this was the most secure spot. I know the chicken wire isn't a deterrent by itself, but I guess I thought it would deter inquisitive wildlife...which it did.
Would you believe a raccoon was smart enough to not only push the 'man door' open to get into the kennel/run (no, it wasn't latched), but also lift the pop door? I know it was lifted for a fact as it didn't open smoothly, we had to push it down every evening as it would stick, so it wasn't easy to open, and we found it up about 8" this morning...
Sad day in central Ohio....

 

[lambchicks]

I am sorry for your dd. It infuriates me to loose a chicken, but then to have to see your children deal with loosing a pet is just unbearable.

 

[lizzytish2002]

I'm so sorry for your loss

my children are going through the same right now my 3 and 5 year old are devastated as we lost a duck on Monday and almost lost another last night to a fox. I'm anxiously sitting by the window right now ready to attack if I see the jerk show up again. They are in the coop which is latched up but I was unable to get the duck or our 2 silkies in the coop to deadbolt it and they are hiding in a place I just can't get to holding my youngest (6months) so I'm hoping they are safe till hubby is home.

 

[DelcoChix]

Thanks for your kind thoughts...yeah, it was tough, a life lesson for my girl. She's not new to animals dying, both kids have to take turns burying whatever the cats bring to "share" with us, and we've lost a few chickens in the last three years...the difference was they were securely shut in their coop for the night, or so we thought. Had no idea it would go to the lengths it did to get to them, and open a pop door.
We set a live trap last night, in the kennel/run, baited with their Layena pellets in a mason jar feeder...and the 'coon returned to the scene of the crime. Found him/her this morning-pretty big one too. He was tried, found guilty, and given a death sentence by my stepfather.
I have to admit that I still feel sad--not only did we lose some really nice girls but now a wild creature had to be killed because it was 'smart' enough to find an easy meal--he was just doing what they do, surviving. He had no idea that he'd crossed a line when he invaded our protected area, and when he returned the next night it really hit me because that just proved that he was doing what his instinct told him to--forage for food. No premeditation, he returned thinking magically there would be more chickens and food waiting for him. I know I'm in a minority here on BYC, but I feel sad. Hate to kill even knowing it was the right thing to do...

 

[9Catsz]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Raccoons may be smart, but they're too dumb to realize when it's time to move on.

A raccoon is a ferocious predator and will eat until there's nothing left to eat. Before I put the camper shell on my truck I left 3 - 50 pound bags of dog food in the bed overnight. The next morning there was no dog food left, just a bazillion pieces of the package the food was in. Raccoons ate all 150 pounds of it in one night! They're gluttons!

In May they raided my chicken pen and took 6 adult golden seabrites, 1 adult silver seabrite, 5 adult silkies, and 6 adult RIR hens. I heard the noise in the middle of the night and went out there. I found one adult white silkie laying outside the coop and I wasn't about to let the raccoon eat it so I picked it up and I was happy to learn that he wasn't dead, just playing dead. But the rest of them were all gone, 18 of them!

I've since eradicated myself of raccoons and I don't feel much pity for them at all. I've put up with them for the 16 years I've lived here and I've had it with them destroying my bird feeders, destroying my hummingbird feeders, destroying my garden, uprooting EVERY potted plant I put outside for the summer, killing wild birds on nests in EVERY birdhouse I put up, killing my cats, killing my chickens, trying to pull the tin roof off of my parrot room in the middle of the night and I have to go out and stop them, etc., etc., and so on. I'm glad they're gone and I'll be watching for more that's for sure.

 

[dinahmoe]

at least THAT raccoon will not be bothering any more chickens.i know its hard to do but you have to protect your animals.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

I'm sorry for your family's loss.

 

[DelcoChix]

Thanks all--I know it's the "right" thing to do...I really do, especially as I was the one who got to pick up Pip and Sasha's sad, torn up little bodies to bury them. I just want everyone to get along, let bygones be bygones you know, and obviously that ain't gonna work.
As a sidenote, we found raccoon #2 in the trap we had re-set last night in the enclosed kennel. Once again, my stepdad, a.k.a. "The Henchman," meted out the death penalty today.
The trap has been cleaned and re-set again, same spot, with the kennel door pushed closed (not latched), just to see if more show up--they will have to push through the door as the murdered had done--figure if they go to that effort then they also need to be terminated. Hope no one shows up.....

 

[DelcoChix]

Wow--you have really had a hard go of it with the masked marauders. Sorry to hear of all your troubles and I don't blame you for needing to keep them at bay...I know they are all over, we've had a mom and her three babies in our garage eating the cat food, but we'd left the door open 10" for the cats...couldn't blame them for going after an easy meal, and they haven't been back since. The horse and chicken feed is kept locked up in rooms with doors, we try to avoid problems. This just crossed the line--they broke into the closed coop to do their damage. Not acceptable and they've paid the price. Just hope that's it...I still hate the killing.



Quote:

 

[nana-of-5]

I just lost one of our hens and 2 new baby chicks last night to a NASTY COON!

We thought we had enough extra chicken wire around our dog run. (with chicken tractor inside) but the little devil found another spot and got inside. He was able to get into the top of the 2x4 inch wire on top of the run part of the tractor. We didn't build the tractor so now I know that the little weasles can get through it. Now we have another layer of chicken wire over that! I am so scared the little meat eaters are going to try and figure a way into the coop tonight. They totally passed by our baited trap with tuna in it!

How else can you keep these predators away? I am at a loss!

~~pat~~