We found a dead... *may be graphic!*

[kargo]

This morning, we let all of our chickens out and checked on everybody. Everything was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then, just about an hour ago, my mom came rushing in to tell me that one of my chickens wa dead and that my Beagle puppy had run off with the head. I rushed outside. After we took care of the body, which was maggot-filled and hollowed out, I went to check on all of my chickens to see which one it was. Turns out none of my chickens were mising. It looked to be a full-grown hen or a rooster. It was really large. I don't understand how it got there, becaue I'm 100% sure it is not any of ours. We live on 50 acres, so I have no idea wher e it could have come from. We're sure that it wasn't there this morning, and pretty poitive that it had been dead for several days. First of all, where could it have come from? Second, given the circumstances, what could have killed it? Third, was it killed during the night or the day? Fourth, how can I keep whatever killed it from killing my flock? I know for certain there are lot of predators around here. Our coop will have two layers of wire and it already has latus work on the bottom and wood on the top. It has a roof, too. I know this probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm really worried about more deaths in my flock. We've already had four recent ones.

Here are some pictures of the sleeping arangements at our house:

This is where the ducks, bantams, roosters, and rabbits currently sleep. We shut the door when everyone has gone in.

This is where the RIR chicks and the bantams sleep. (They're in a Rubbermaid tub which is surrounded by things and covered up, the baby gate being the lid.

This is our big brooder, where our oldest girls are. These are the one that seem least safe to me.

 

[wyliefarms]

The animal you found was dead for a few days since it had maggots in it.

The dog must of found it and dragged it up.

 

[kargo]

I am mainly concerned about two things. What killed this chicken and can it get to mine?

 

[geosheets]

Quote:
Be cautious of that beagle puppy... a friend of mine had a beagle pup that was about 5 months old... it killed his 6 full grown Pekin ducks.

 

[kargo]

Quote:
Be cautious of that beagle puppy... a friend of mine had a beagle pup that was about 5 months old... it killed his 6 full grown Pekin ducks.

Yeah, we have Pekins, too. Dottie's a mess. She usually stays inside or away from the chickens, but we check on her.

 

[nnbreeder]

I would secure the wire on your pen better. What I have found to work the best is to cover the wire edges with slats and screw down about every 6 inches. To further secure it I use Gorilla Glue between the slats and the board on the pen. Gorilla glue is available at most hardware stores or lumber yards. Just follow directions on the bottle.

 

[dancingbear]

You didn't say what kind of wounds or marks, if any, were on the mystery bird. Maybe you couldn't tell because of the maggots.

It's possible that the mystery roo wasn't killed by a predator at all. He may have died of natural causes, and been found by your dog and drug home. Or he could've been hit by a car, or died of an illness. Maybe he was without water too long, or something else. Sometimes a bird will have an accident of some sort and die, try to fly when startled, crash head first into a tree, or something like that.

What did your 4 die from? Was it predators?

 

[toredano]

he could have wandered onto your property hearing the hens..
Maybe someone dumped him and he heard the hens..
if his head was hollowed out.. its been dead a few days for sure.
If he wasnt one of yours.. dont worry about it.. maybe someone or something killed it and dumped it not far from you..
dogs have amazing noses and the dog prolly thought it was a tasty snack.
Dogs are icky when it comes to dead things.. they love it..

My dog loves rolling in dead things.. especially dead and rotten grubs.. no clue why..

but .. yes.. your cop needs some work .. I know alot of people keep their chickens on wire racks and off the ground but I think its not right.. I wouldnt do it.. for a few reasons..
For one.. that cant feel good on their feet and you can have predators coming from underneath it and chew thru and pull feet and bite them in their feet.
The less area you have exposed where preds can come in.. the better you are off.

 

[jsimplytx125]

I found a pretty neat way to train your pup by "the dog whisperer guy, Cesar"
You roll your pup over on his/her back and hold a chicken on it's stomach.
That is total vunerability for a dog. Just jump the chicken up and down on its belly, and let them scquak and flap if they will(you may need help holding dog down because dogs hate this)!

Do about three days in a row. Then while your pup is on a leash, walk him/her into chicken yard and watch for any sign of agressiveness. If you see any, repeat.

This totally cured my 1 yo Border Collie pup of killng my chickens.