what got my birds???

[blondie34]

I noticed I was missing three out of my free range flock.. my two favorite roosters and a very sweet hen.. I found a few feathers (black and white from our light brahma roo) trailing into the bean field that butts up to our property.. after following that trail I found a pile of intestines.. a few rows of beans away from the intestines I found what is left of the carcass .. the underside of the head is gone as well as all of the breast area, belly, hind legs, and neck.. really the only thing left is the top of the head/beak and the legs/feet ..

I found some feathers of the other chickens but no bodies were found after a long search through the field.. I'm thinking since the other two were carried off it's a larger predator?

We've already shot two coyotes this winter in our backyard but did not have any issues with predators since...

the free range chickens roost at night about five feet high in our pine trees... WHAT KIND OF PREDATOR SHOULD I BE TRYING TO TRAP AND KILL?

 

[countrygoddess]

I'm thinking raccoon or possibly weasel. A bigger predator, such as a coyote or fox, would not leave anything behind.

 

[blondie34]

You are right! We set up two deer cams and found not only one..but two big fat coons consistently visiting our coop area every night! I've kept the rest of the chickens on lockdown at night so luckily I haven't had anymore casualties since the last few...

 

[countrygoddess]

Glad you figured it out!! Are you going to set up a live trap to relocate those sneaky critters?

 

[LilyD]

Glad you figured it out!! Are you going to set up a live trap to relocate those sneaky critters?

I agree with countrygoddess you can get a have a hart trap and bait it with raw chicken to catch them. Once you catch them you can either dispose of them or relocate them far away. Otherwise they will keep coming back until your coop is empty. We had a coon attacking our coop that managed to get 4 of our birds this year. The lucky thing is that my birds have a fence around the perimeter of our property, so I bought a large fencer that goes up to 19000 volts and hitched it to the fence now climbing over or under the fence is no longer an option for the little bugger.

Good luck.

 

[blondie34]

thanks for all of the help

We have both kinds of traps as my fiance and I hunt and trap for a hobby..

I would LOVE to just take care of them and not have to worry about them anymore rather than go through the headache of relocating them but coon aren't in season right now so I don't really have a choice do I? Or since they are invading my coop area is it okay to "do the deed"

?

 

[countrygoddess]

I don't know what the laws are in Ohio, but I'm pretty sure if it was happening to our flock, my husband would have no qualms about taking care of them in a way that wouldn't require a live trap...

 

[LilyD]

thanks for all of the help

We have both kinds of traps as my fiance and I hunt and trap for a hobby..

I would LOVE to just take care of them and not have to worry about them anymore rather than go through the headache of relocating them but coon aren't in season right now so I don't really have a choice do I? Or since they are invading my coop area is it okay to "do the deed"

?

I would check with your local game warden. As far as I know where I live there is a rule that says that if the animal is endangering your livestock you are allowed to kill it without penalty even if it's not in season. Our state does count chickens and other poultry as livestock as well. This also works for pet cats and dogs that are constantly getting loose and killing your animals. If it is endangering your livestock then you have the right to take care of it. I would think the rules would be similar regardless of state but check it out to be on the safe side.

 

[blondie34]

I'll definitely check into it! Thanks for all of your help everyone!