What is it with this year??

[ChickInDelight]

I don't understand the kill - but no carry-out incident.

That makes me suspect dogs. Do you have new neighbors with a dog?

You are good to let your chickens have free-range despite the occasional loss. Freedom is a much better quality of life than living forever in a prison.

Don't fret, you will figure this out.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

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That's what I wondered when I read that, too. Or an old neighbor with a new dog.

 

[chicknmania]

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That is not true at all. We HAVE lost chickens (one or two maybe a year...to predators) So they do know they are there. Apparently you haven't read the rest of the thread.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[chicknmania]

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That's what I wondered when I read that, too. Or an old neighbor with a new dog.

That is the first thing we thought of. So we went through the neighborhood all afternoon looking for dogs running loose talking to neighbors etc. But this incident happened within forty minutes. I stopped to check on them bf I went to run an errand in town. Came back 40 minutes later to find them dead.
And no dogs. Nothing But for one thing MY dog tracked the predator into dense briar bushes. I don't think domestic dogs would go in there (she didn't). And then I remembered what a fox will do in a chicken COOP. They slaughter as much as possible and leave what they can't carry for later. Coyotes will do this also. I read up on it. Our dog LOOKS something like a coyote and when the chickens saw her in the next day or so they were afraid...or a little wary anyway...of her. Never have been afraid of her bf. And no she did not and would not kill them. It may have been feral dogs; we have seen a pack of those running around in past years. Whatever killed our three roosters and two hens and pulled the tail out of our other rooster took one rooster and one hen with them. Or at least we never found them and no sign of them. They just left the other three behind. And the lucky tailless one.

 

[chicknmania]

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Thanks I hope so! I think they are so much happier and naturally develop a better immune system free-ranging. And we enjoy them coming to the house to visit us and our guests. Keeping them in a pen has it's own predator risks...as our neighbors can attest...

 

[RHRanch]

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That is not true at all. We HAVE lost chickens (one or two maybe a year...to predators) So they do know they are there. Apparently you haven't read the rest of the thread.
Thanks for the advice.

I'm sorry you don't find anything I said helpful. I will say that I think you need to re-read what I wrote. I didn't say that this theory was based on "awareness" that your birds were there. It is based on how good the hunting in a territory is. Perhaps in years past, there was more for them to eat outside your yard which made it not as good of a hunting option. Perhaps not. Either way, what is true is that they find your yard to be a place with a lot of prey and good hunting grounds. You have a lot of food out, and now you have a predator (or two) determined to hunt it.

By the way, I free range and I endorse it. I never said to keep them penned up forever. I have used the strategies I mentioned with great success in managing my free range hens.

 

[chicknmania]

So have I. Right now we are dealing with one predator who has returned. A large female Cooper's hawk.
And there has been no evidence of the others returning. This hawk has been a problem for us for several weeks. I know
it is the same one. We have employed a few methods which have kept her at a distance, including keeping the flock confined for a few
days. She is the same one who I referred to earlier who killed our birds but she has not been able to kill anything for about three weeks.
what was unusual was that we immediately had another attack by a different kind of predator. I don't think they talked to the hawk though...

I understand the hunted out principal and have used it in past years. In a few weeks (if not before)that's what we will be using anyway b/c it will be too cold and snowy for the flock to want to go out. No flock in evidence, no predators. We will probably resort to confining them for an extended period of time before then. Right now bird bombs, diligence, and reflective devices are working pretty well in keeping the hawk at bay for the past couple of weeks. It is hard on the flock to be confined when they are used to going out. Which is why we haven't done it yet for more than a few days.

The whole basis of this thread was that the predator activity is unusual. Seems to be for a lot of people. As far as our flock being "free and easy"
I don't think they are. Most of our roosters and all of our older hens are very experienced in escaping predators; and many of them we have had since chicks for the whole seven years we have had the flock. Our roosters died because that is how roosters protect the flock when nothing else works. They target themselves.
We have been able to be out with the flock most days in the more limited time we have been letting them free range in the past few weeks, so it has been easier
to protect them. Thanks for your suggestions.