Raccoons tend to just eat the heads off the chickens. They tend to pull the bird through the fencing material and chomp the part they like. There are almost always parts left to find. My sister has problems with the coons up in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Hawks and other birds of prey tend to eat what they can right where they make the kill. They can't fly with the weight of a chicken. The chicken will almost always outweigh the bird of prey. DD used to get so mad at the hawks, because of the mess they left behind.
Coyotes will leave very little but feathers behind, but they do love to talk about their kills. When you hear the coyotes howling they are bragging about and letting the pack know that they have a kill. So big cats will stalk and figure out how to get into penned animals also.
Cougars tend to stalk their prey, so it is unlikely that a cat that big is responsible. But it is possible in Western Washington. I have seen cougar less than a mile from where I live.
Bears will just go slamming through the fencing they don't have to think about it much. They rarely think about stealth and grace. There are a lot of black bears in West Wash these days.
Then there are the domestic dogs. I think that they are the worst predator that any of us face. No matter how cute little fluffy can seem to be, any dog in a pack can kill or harass livestock. But dogs tend to tear through fencing and will leave the bodies. Dogs are rarely hungry and it seems that it is more about the sport of it for them. I also have terriers and
I know that I can't trust any of the nasty little dogs with the birds. The chickens are just too much fun to chase and lick, but then so are kitties.
I trust Puppy with the birds, but that is only after teaching him what will happen if you play "Bowling for Polish Crested chicks". He had a real bad afternoon that day. I will give him credit; he has never looked at the chickens the same way. But I could see that if the nasty little dogs got out of control he might join in just for the fun of it. Puppy is a lousy Komondor. It is just as well, because he is a great dog if you need one that keeps the sofa warm.
Teddie is driving me crazy at the moment.
I think he must have been dropped on his head as a puppy. He is standing outside the dog door, barking one bark at a time.
I think he wants in maybe. The door is open and he can get through it without any problems when he wants to. He wants me to play with him, but that makes the other nasty little dogs a bit cranky. They don't understand how to play the game he plays. I can relate to that. I don't know how to play it for sure either. Now he is going from the dog door to the sliding glass door and back. He is going to drive me crazier than ever.
I can only hope that he will need a nap soon. It is a very good thing that he is our favorite nasty little dog.
At 5lbs he tends to rule the entire house. Even Puppy knows that he is the boss. Of course Miss Gabby doesn't care if he thinks he is the boss. She is the girl, and she will just ignore him.
but I would be super happy to donate them to you, if you can pick them up like tomorrow. I am at work 8-6 in Fircrest. I am probably bringing the serama eggs to Dawn tomorrow too.. ? dawn are you here?? She was going to email/PM me and let me know for sure. If she doesn't want those Serama's now, I need to sell those eggs too... anyone anyone? lol!
lol ) to get good protein and probiotics in your animals, cats, dogs, chickens, humans !!
