What is killing my hens?

[GoodwinMaine]

What if you find all your adult birds dead at once, all 18. In a coop, in varying stages of... remains. Some just bloody and nearly intact, some with a few parts missing, some nearly only feathers left, and some mush. Seriously, it looked like a horror movie was filmed in our coop. The chicks, in the adjacent connected building were untouched.

More than likely coons, probably not just one. We had a similar event, 5 of 7 were destroyed. Have since caught 5 coons and 4 skunk in hav-a-heart traps.

 

[svtpinky]

This is my first time to really every do this so here we go,

Well I just found 2 hens with big chunks taken out of there saddle and under there wings. One dead with head taken off and 3 others missing.. Just saw my neighbors dogs jumping the fence and chasing them off and over to there yard..
I have already lost 5 baby chicks to the other neighbors wolf dogs and now this. I really don't know what else to do, I have told my neighbor that they will be shot if there over here again.. he already knows this because of the wolf dogs..
I have also been trying to find out Texas law on dogs or anything else killing your live stock.
I do sell my chickens and there eggs all I'm doing is losing money.. Do I just give up and sell all my chickens? or what ?

Please help... Thank you

 

[Mehjr10]

Welcome to BYC ! From West Tn ! Sorry your first post has to be of this nature, first thing I would do is secure the birds so that nothing can get to them. Locked up tight at a drum at night. Then try to determine if it is the dog that is doing the damages, if you have seen them in the act killing or carrying the birds off, the next time they crossed onto my land they would not leave again. If you think you may smaller predators they you will need to trap them and dispose of them.. The Duke Leg hold trap is a good one for coons. If you have an area that the animals are crossing you can also try snares.

 

[svtpinky]

I have all my chickens locked up good. I have noticed just today that the dogs have been jumping the fence and my husband and I will shoot them, it always seems to happen when were not home.... I know its the dogs cause I saw them.. the owner doest have any of his dogs fixed and these are 2 month old pups maybe older. I sure do thank u for your post

 

[CrunchyNana]

I don't have my coop built yet but bunker will be a good description. Before I even put anything in it I'm going to bait it, and put infrared cams on it and see if anything can get through. If they do I'll fix it, then bait again until it's solid. We have a large pond 20 paces from the front door - I know we have several raccoon families that eat muscles from said pond... which we don't mind. However the hens will need solid protection from them, coyotes, my owls {whom I love having around}, etc.
Besides, I figure if we kill all the coons it would only be a matter of time until a new group moved in. Better to just protect the girls to begin with. If we need to resort to electric fencing we'll do that too.
Thanks for that long descriptive post! I think we have all those critters as well and I believe they all have a place in the eco-system of my homestead. {altho' the dogs seem to take issue with the muskrat pair and the crane/heron in particular}

 

[svtpinky]

Well woke up this morning and the two chickens that had been attack ed are still alive, but still missing 4. Lost 3 really good egg layers and now there spooked im sure egg laying will go down. Dont know if I should just call animal control or just shoot them.. they have chased off some and cant find them..
Thank u

 

[myramelinda]

i lost two of my chickens over the week-end and after researching and examing the evidence, I'm convinced it was a weisel...feathers everywhere inside the coop, head bitten off and left....they say a weisel can squeeze through a quarter size opening....Considering my hubby is out of town for a week, I had to take action....secured coop with more chicken wire and then hung a pair of old thrift store find overalls on fence and stuffed the pockets with moth balls....made the overalls look like a human standing at the coop....so far, so good.....

 

[Judy P-E]

2 chickens killed. 1 is gone except a few feathers. 1 in the creek wih flesh of the neck and feathers off the back. Hen house was open for the night. It looks as though the chicken was pulled under the wire fence to the creek side where it was found. what could it be?

 

[Mehjr10]

I would say it was a coon..

 

[Judy P-E]

probably, last night we set a have a heart trap just outside the hen house. what ever it is bent the trap and was able to get away. I bet you are right. thanks.