:( What on Earth...*UPDATE*

[MissAnnieFrannie]

Well, yesterday we had lots of scraps for the chickens because of the Easter dinner. I am afraid that because I gave my sweet birdies a bunch of scraps they didnt finish, I may have brought about the harm of my sweet Hagrid.


I am, still working on my coop, but in the meantime I have 2 large tractors that my chickens are in. These things are very very heavy, I can barely move one of them by myself. I woke up this morning, and one of them was turned 90 degrees (as in where the tractors were parallel, they were moved to be perpendicular). It was turned over, the door was still closed. BUT my sweet Hagrid, an easter egger of app 8 weeks in age, is gone, and there was a trail of feathers (with a bit of flesh attached) leading through my backyard. I couldn't follow it past the tree line.

What could it possibly have been?

Note that My yard, where the chickens are kept, is fenced in, prob about 4 feet chain link fence, which was closed. These tractors are HEAVY. No opened doors, no other chickens hurt or take. The only way it could have gotten Hagrid out or moved it sideways in a way that got her out was to lift it, or push it so hard so many times that it tipped upwards and turned without flipping. The tracotrs are on grass, even ground.


ALSO, I dont get off till 5:30 pm, have daylight till about8, be home by six... I have 5 walls assembled that I was keeping towards the coop...Should I tack them together when I get home to make something a bit more stable for the night time until the coop is done? If so, how would you do it? I also have plenty of hardware cloth...

 

[chickensioux]

So sorry for the loss of Hagrid. Bear? Do you have a garage they could go into at night until the coop is done?

 

[MissAnnieFrannie]

I have a shed, but a.) the littles 3 chicks are in there and b.) I don't think I could fit something large enough to keep them in in my shed, due to all the other things stored in there.

A bear, really? How would it have gotten in the yard without trampling the fence or busting it or the gate down?

 

[chuckzoo]

Wow I am sorry to hear about that!

Could you perhaps put some wooden stakes into the ground that you could hook the tractors too? Perhaps a lock, one part on the stake and the other one on the tractor so you can secure them to the ground at night?

I don't know what those type of locks are called but its the one where the latch goes across and you can put a lock on it.

Perhaps something like that would work.

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

I'm so sorry about your loss!!! I know you love your chicks!!

That totally sounds like a bear, I had a friend that had her tractor flipped over by a medium sized black bear couple years ago trying to figure out how to get inside. I don't think he necessarily wanted the chickens, but the food inside. Luckily she heard the commotion just in time and was able to run it off before he got inside. He never came back, that she could tell. They could definitely get over a 4 ft chain link fence. I've seen two so far this year, one with 2 babies in tow, I'm just over the mtn range from you.

So sorry!!!! If it was a bear, this time of year they are particularly food driven, emerging and feeding new babies, I'd be especially careful with leaving any food outside that would attract them.

 

[MissAnnieFrannie]

WOW. I never even thought that I could have bears!!! My backyard, where the chickens are, is fenced in, but from the fence down to the end of the property is a steep hill that runs into a very swift pretty large creek (Sinking creek, if you ken). Our property is surrounded on 2 sides by it, with the other two sides being road and woods that connect us to the neighbor (not thick though, barley can call it "woods". They are not even 100 ft, maybe 50 ft from my bedroom window...I guess I thought I would have heard something that big. Well, how can I prevent this from happening again? How does a bear try to maneuver (lol that sounds ridiculous).

 

[chickensioux]

A bear can and will do anything. The scraps probably attracted it and lifting or moving the tractor was nothing for it to do. They can climb a chain link fence, especially for food, as if it wasn't there. I would keep the chickens somewhere else until the coop is through. You want that bear to find out that your house is NOT a food source. If it wasn't a bear, it would have had to have been some other very large predator.....cougar maybe. Do you think a bobcat or coon could have done that? You stated that you have a hard time moving it, so it had to have been something large enough and determined enough and strong enough. You are in East TN, I know we have bears in WNC.

 

[hencackle]

I don't know whereabouts in East TN you are, but in northeast TN in the Tri-Cities area, we have bears. My neighbor saw one running across the road right as she was driving home. It was about 300 feet from our houses.

 

[MissAnnieFrannie]

well i am sure there are bears around, thats for sure. I guess I never realized they were so close. I have no idea where to put them until i can finish the coop. The only other option i can think of is trying to tack something more sturdy together tonight... those things i have assempled ar at least 4 sq foot each...maybe i could make 4 wals and a roof, just affix them, and then cut a very small pop door the could let them get into the tractor run... it would end up being at least 2x as heavy as the tractor i have now....don';t know what else to do !

I am so frustrated.

 

[MissAnnieFrannie]

Quote:
I am in Carter County, right on the border of JC, hey there neighbor.