What is Killing my Flock?

[CreedChickens]

I need some help figuring out what is killing my birds. I have three left of a 10 chicken flock. We live in mid-Michigan so I'm thinking maybe a weasel, fox, coyote, or raccoon. It started three nights ago when something killed one bird and left what was left after it finished eating. This happened two nights in a row. The third night I shut up the outside door to their run and shut one area of the barn where the cats come in and out of the barn. We had a good night and nothing was killed. Last night I did everything the same, but I didn’t shut up the door where the cats come in and when I came out this morning this THING had killed four hens and my rooster was complete maimed, my husband ended up having to shoot him. I’m pretty sure Bubba fought back pretty well though. He was a fantastic rooster. The animal ate one of the hens and the rest it just killed, it didn’t eat them. I figured out that this killer got through a gap in the wall of the coop, the gap is big enough for a raccoon (my dad thinks that a fox or coyote can get through some pretty narrow spots as well). We’re going to put out a live trap tonight and I’ll take a closer look at where the animal got through and see if it left any fur. We have a pretty big barn and most of it is empty, it could be living in the loft. Does anyone have any ideas of what we might be dealing with?

 

[redsoxs]

I'm going to guess raccoon. I think a coyote or fox would have taken a chicken with them when they left. I have heard weasels will kill multiple birds but the carnage you are describing sounds like a raccoon to me. Sorry to hear about your losses. The live trap will work well with a raccoon, foxes are pretty wary of them, and unless it's a really big trap, a coyote might not fit. Happy hunting!

 

[rebirdchild]

I agree with redsoxs...if it were a fox or coyote almost all of your flock would be gone and there would be little or no evidence of what happened...also weasel attacks are very perticular...they usually decapitate there prey and kind of just lick the blood....pretty gross i know

 

[D Kluck]

probably a racoon...

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If you are having raccoon troubles, a Duke Dog Proof Trap is the ticket. Bait it with sweet corn or marshmallows and any chance of by catch (except for possums) is almost eliminated.

 

[CreedChickens]

Thank you all for posting for me. We did get a raccoon last night - that one at least won't be killing any more chickens. We'll try for a few more nights and see what we get.