What is killing my chickens?

[Moonchicken77]

We had a fox attack he got Craig my rooster who was a giant Brahma breed and blanch my favorite hen. I was devastated so I went to work! I got hardware cloth 3 feet tall and tacked it to the fencing. Our coup is fully enclosed with cattle fencing and chicken wire but the chicken wire is weak and predators go through it. I set 4 traps put up motion sensored lights that are solar powered on every side and I move them every week. I put human hair (sister in law works at a nursing home they donate it for a few dozen eggs) around the outside as well. That has done amazing for a year now! Now I have chicks that need to get started in the "teenage cage area" it's 12x12 dog kennel. So up went the hardware cloth around the bottom and the door to! I have cattle fencing across the top to stop chicken hawks and yes vultures! Well I move this pen around and a predator digging under is very real so here's what I found that works for us with the moving pen. I enclose it as stated above I have a 2 and a half foot small cattle fencing like 2 inch I think it is and at the 12 inch mark I bent it like a 90 degree angle. I attached this to the outside so if predators dig down they won't get through the fencing and it goes out almost 2 feet from the bottom edge of the coup! This way when we move it its ready to go and I watch so if I see digging marks or predator signs I take action! I love my birds and yes some make the dinner table but while I have them it's my job to protect them and I've watched videos read articles and tried many things and this is what works for us! I hope it helps and you don't lose anymore!
Side note Craig my rooster was huge he stood almost 3 feet tall and that fox well he's around but he's injured because sly as a fox is very real! I've stalked it and hunted it and I finally got my chance took the shot the turd heard me and they are fast! I did take out the tip of its tail so that is why I said injured. He is also a hybrid and huge! Fish and game have been out and told us to take it out if we can because they are dangerous. Cross bred with a wolf and the size of a shepherd so you can imagine how shocked we were to see it! If they are hungry they will hunt in the daylight but this one is a 345 am to 630 am hunter. Good luck!!

 

[spbaz]

I've had many chickens die... so what I did was put up a fence around the coop and get two Great Pyrenees guard dogs. My dogs are very good at barking and scaring off predators. You could set up some traps too.

Yes we have a Great Pyrenees boxer mix dog and when she is out she does a great job scaring off predators but I think these attacks might be happening in the very early morning when she is still inside sleeping. For now I believe I have secured the coop and I put up a game cam to see what might be causing the attacks! I also had my husband set a trap. Just 4 gone is 4 days really has me shook up!
I hope we don’t lose anymore, fingers crossed.
thanks!

 

[spbaz]

We had a fox attack he got Craig my rooster who was a giant Brahma breed and blanch my favorite hen. I was devastated so I went to work! I got hardware cloth 3 feet tall and tacked it to the fencing. Our coup is fully enclosed with cattle fencing and chicken wire but the chicken wire is weak and predators go through it. I set 4 traps put up motion sensored lights that are solar powered on every side and I move them every week. I put human hair (sister in law works at a nursing home they donate it for a few dozen eggs) around the outside as well. That has done amazing for a year now! Now I have chicks that need to get started in the "teenage cage area" it's 12x12 dog kennel. So up went the hardware cloth around the bottom and the door to! I have cattle fencing across the top to stop chicken hawks and yes vultures! Well I move this pen around and a predator digging under is very real so here's what I found that works for us with the moving pen. I enclose it as stated above I have a 2 and a half foot small cattle fencing like 2 inch I think it is and at the 12 inch mark I bent it like a 90 degree angle. I attached this to the outside so if predators dig down they won't get through the fencing and it goes out almost 2 feet from the bottom edge of the coup! This way when we move it its ready to go and I watch so if I see digging marks or predator signs I take action! I love my birds and yes some make the dinner table but while I have them it's my job to protect them and I've watched videos read articles and tried many things and this is what works for us! I hope it helps and you don't lose anymore!
Side note Craig my rooster was huge he stood almost 3 feet tall and that fox well he's around but he's injured because sly as a fox is very real! I've stalked it and hunted it and I finally got my chance took the shot the turd heard me and they are fast! I did take out the tip of its tail so that is why I said injured. He is also a hybrid and huge! Fish and game have been out and told us to take it out if we can because they are dangerous. Cross bred with a wolf and the size of a shepherd so you can imagine how shocked we were to see it! If they are hungry they will hunt in the daylight but this one is a 345 am to 630 am hunter. Good luck!!

I am going to have to pick up some of this hardware cloth, seems like the safest way to secure the fenced in area of our coop.
Thanks for everyone’s help!

 

[Geena]

He is also a hybrid and huge! Fish and game have been out and told us to take it out if we can because they are dangerous. Cross bred with a wolf and the size of a shepherd so you can imagine how shocked we were to see it! If they are hungry they will hunt in the daylight but this one is a 345 am to 630 am hunter. Good luck!!

Foxes cannot interbreed with wolves, coyotes or dogs.

 

[Moonchicken77]

Not to be a jerk but sadly you are mistaken they are a hybrid they are mixed with timber wolves. I didn't think it was possible but I have seen it with my own eyes as well as fish and game confirming it from trail cam footage. The officer educated me that they will breed with coyotes dogs whatever they can hence dog/wolf mixes.. Google can fill you in on images etc.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

No, they can't breed. They're not closely related enough and their chromosome counts are incompatible

 

[Geena]

Not to be a jerk but sadly you are mistaken they are a hybrid they are mixed with timber wolves. I didn't think it was possible but I have seen it with my own eyes as well as fish and game confirming it from trail cam footage. The officer educated me that they will breed with coyotes dogs whatever they can hence dog/wolf mixes.. Google can fill you in on images etc.

Wolves, coyotes and dogs can interbreed with each other because they are very closely related, foxes are not.
If the officer told you that he needs to go back to Fish and Game school.

 

[Moonchicken77]

Wolves, coyotes and dogs can interbreed with each other because they are very closely related, foxes are not.
If the officer told you that he needs to go back to Fish and Game school.

http://www.macroevolution.net/fox-wolf-hybrids.html

 

[Geena]

http://www.macroevolution.net/fox-wolf-hybrids.html

They also report of dogs crossing with horses, parrots and humans on that site.

Look what else I found on google, didn't know these hybrids existed either!

I want one of those catacocks!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Simply searching can Foxes breed with wolves gives the first full page of results all saying they cannot.


Back to the OP, I agree with the others it was a raccoon. That scene is what I have come across myself when I lost ducks to a raccoon