What animal ate my babies?

[cmom]

I don't catch and release predators. In some places it's illegal to release. Here we are supposed to have the landowners permission to relocate but I doubt those who do catch and release get permission. I don't want to give the predator to someone else to deal with.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

I shot the first 2 with a .22
I asked Kyle to spare the life of the one in the live trap.. He tried to release it down the road, but coonie was scared and being aggressive. So Kyle shot it. RIP Coonie

I assumed you shot them. We shoot any predators too. (Take a look at my avitar)

My dad shot a snake that had managed to get into the coop. It was only a rat snake, but it was eating eggs so there we were with a 9mm pistol at 10:00 at night with no hearing protection. It was something else.

We’ve been hunting coyotes too. We haven’t gotten any yet but we’ve been trying. It’s been hard trying to time it so there’s a full moon but no clouds and the wind has to be blowing in the right direction and all that stuff.

We’ve also had a few stray dogs come around. Not really for the birds, more for our dogs (mainly when Belle is in heat/she’s fixed now). But we shoot behind or next to them to spook them off. Where we live, there’s not much but cornfield or cotton fields around our house and the closest house is a ways down the road so shooting isn’t much of a problem.

Hawks have tried twice, the first injuring a chicken (she’s fine now) the second time after the same chicken, but the dogs scared him off.

The dogs have gotten 3 birds, 2 ducklings and a chicken. We won’t shoot the dogs, not yet at least. If the attacks keep happening like they have been lately, then there’s a chance the dogs might be going.

I know it probably seems like we just like to shoot and kill stuff but that’s not how it is, I’m protecting what’s mine and what’s important to me.

I hope you can keep your birds safe from now on, good luck!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Again, 2 breasted and 2 abducted

Sorry for your loss.

Here.. we go by guilty until proven innocent.

The breasting you describe is very predator specific... seems like maybe I remember it being an owl.

My hawk that gets occasional chicks... does not get multiples int he same day.

@Howard E do you know which predator they might be looking at here? TIA!

 

[ChickenLadyInTheCoop]

I don't catch and release predators. In some places it's illegal to release. Here we are supposed to have the landowners permission to relocate but I doubt those who do catch and release get permission. I don't want to give the predator to someone else to deal with.

We don't have neighbors. The area we live in is called "Big Woods" because it's nothing but woods. So I just wanted to relocate to another section of uninhabited wood. He just looked too small to cause so much carnage. Softy over here. Either way.. He's gone now

 

[cmom]

We don't have close neighbors either. We are rural, but have had people relocate there catches in our area. We live on a dead end road. I once found a gosling that someone had dropped off. Good luck with your flock and have fun...

 

[ChickenLadyInTheCoop]

I assumed you shot them. We shoot any predators too. (Take a look at my avitar)

My dad shot a snake that had managed to get into the coop. It was only a rat snake, but it was eating eggs so there we were with a 9mm pistol at 10:00 at night with no hearing protection. It was something else.

We’ve been hunting coyotes too. We haven’t gotten any yet but we’ve been trying. It’s been hard trying to time it so there’s a full moon but no clouds and the wind has to be blowing in the right direction and all that stuff.

We’ve also had a few stray dogs come around. Not really for the birds, more for our dogs (mainly when Belle is in heat/she’s fixed now). But we shoot behind or next to them to spook them off. Where we live, there’s not much but cornfield or cotton fields around our house and the closest house is a ways down the road so shooting isn’t much of a problem.

Hawks have tried twice, the first injuring a chicken (she’s fine now) the second time after the same chicken, but the dogs scared him off.

The dogs have gotten 3 birds, 2 ducklings and a chicken. We won’t shoot the dogs, not yet at least. If the attacks keep happening like they have been lately, then there’s a chance the dogs might be going.

I know it probably seems like we just like to shoot and kill stuff but that’s not how it is, I’m protecting what’s mine and what’s important to me.

I hope you can keep your birds safe from now on, good luck!

GO DAD!

We are gun people and avid hunters, too! Ducks and deer down here. We have a ton of crawfish and rice fields (a raccoon's paradise). There are so many coons around here, we'll never be able to even put a dent in the population.. No neighbors, nothing but woods. The area we live in is called "Big Woods" for that reason lol

I hate that the stray dogs are getting your babies. I hope that they find something else to do with their free time.

 

[ChickenLadyInTheCoop]

Sorry for your loss.

Here.. we go by guilty until proven innocent.

The breasting you describe is very predator specific... seems like maybe I remember it being an owl.

My hawk that gets occasional chicks... does not get multiples int he same day.

@Howard E do you know which predator they might be looking at here? TIA!

Also, a head was ripped off, which is more owl specific. So I don't know what I'm dealing with here lol But we are fixing to get our game camera out there just to see. Even though they are safe for now.

 

[ChickenLadyInTheCoop]

From your description i don't really understand your set up. Maybe if you could post some pictures we could give you more advice about keeping your chickens safer.

Yeah that was a pretty bad description lol
But the next day we closed it in and added another door! So they are safe for now

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

I hate that the stray dogs are getting your babies. I hope that they find something else to do with their free time.

The strays haven’t gotten any of our birds...yet. But if they do they’re gone.

Our own dogs have been the ones to kill. We have 4 dogs (a lot, I know).

Red- Great Pyrenees mixed with Redbone Hound and German Shepherd

Belle- German Shepherd mix

Bo- (Red and Belle’s puppy) German Pyrenees/ Great Shepherd

Gunner- Blue Heeler


Red killed the 2 ducklings and Bo killed the chicken. I guess it’s the hound instinct that drives them towards killing. Bo’s attacked another chicken (she’s fine now) but was holding her under water as if trying to drown her.

Dogs are too smart.

 

[cmom]

Here we have mostly coyotes. Nothing preys on coyotes but they will prey on other predators.