What got my chicks??

[sdsmowen]

We are brand new to chickens this year. They free range during the day and then at night we have a chicken area in our barn where we keep the larger chickens (3 months old) in and there is a pen inside this area for our little chicks (5-6 weeks old). Last night something got in and didnt get the bigger chickens but instead got into the pen and killed 3 of the babies :-(

What would skip open area chickens to break into an enclosed pen?



You can see to the right the pen the little chicks are in...



I am so upset! i spent this afternoon blocking every gap I could find but..i'm so afraid i'm going to get home to more carnage (i work 3rd shift) i realize i was lucky to only loose a few but its horrible to see them all torn up.

 

[Cetawin]

Okay...first Welcome to BYC and chickens! Second I am sorry for your losses. I will tell you what I think and see ...

1. That chicken wire MUST go. The only thing it is good for is keeping chickens in, it keeps nothing out. Coons will pull a bird through the openings and it is a horrible sight...trust me.

2. I see no top enclosing either pen. That is like opening the welcome to dinner sign. Possum, Rats, Coons, Cats, Mink, Weasels, Owls you name it merely hop over, climb down into or rip through the wire to get them.

3. You have got to do something about how you are housing them because they are not safe or protected at all. You have contained them for predators.


Can you build an enclosed house inside their area that they can be locked into at night? That would be your best solution, enclosed all or part of that area or build them a little house in it. If you look at the coop design pages here on the forum you can get some great ideas. Basically four walls, floor and roof, ventilation openings covered with 1/4" or 1/2: hardwire cloth, roosts and a door that locks would protect them at night which is when most predators are out and about.

If you do not do something they are going to be picked off a few at a time until they are gone...the predator will leave when the food source is gone. Let me get some links for you and I will post them....

Get a couple live animals traps at the feed store and set them too.

 

[Cetawin]

Something this size would house those chicks for several weeks...throw together a couple of them...one for the chicks and one for the older birds. Then work on enclosing that area sides and top with sturdy small opening wire...


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-hodge-podge-coop

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-drummonds-chicken-coop



Your goal is to have them safe from above, the sides and below...the diggers. Skirtingof wireon the ground outward from perimeter, brick and etc around the perimeter will stop most diggers.

If you look at this example you can see how easy it would be to enclose that stall area, just like this enclosure was done. The chickens need roosts, nest boxes and draft free in winter with good ventilation year round. With the stall area enclosed completely, you could create and enclosed area for them in the winter months right inside the enclosure.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/cluckheads-coop-page


Hope that helps some.

 

[sdsmowen]

Thank you for the very good ideas!
The chicken area is actually enclosed (it had a few gaps in the celing. however i used chicken wire to cover them and to enclose the stall top areas not a good idea i guess) I will get home and work on making a much more secure area.
We just bought this small homestead 2 weeks ago and were keeping them in the barn until we can build the real coop :-( We did not have any trouble at the last house but this one is very rural and we are not longer facing just neighborhood cats.

 

[Cetawin]

Glad I could help. Good luck and enjoy your new home and life with the birds. Stay around this site and research....everything you can imagine has probably already been asked or figured out and is here. If not, we love solving new problems.

 

[sdsmowen]

Spent over 2 hours this afternoon building a chicken pen/vault for over night (predator is getting in at night) I had 27 5-6 week old chicks when we moved in a week ago, this morning we were down to 18 :-( I used a large dog kennel covered it in hardware cloth and put the chicks in for the night. At 12:00 my husband called to inform me that it was a full size raccoon ..my chicken wire pen was no where near adequate (hubby got it so at least 1 predator is gone yay!) it couldn't get into the chicks in the new pen and had even started to try to dig under the pen to get access. I know that there may be more than 1 coon but i am glad the new pen works and the babies are protected at night until we can get the big coop built.