WHAT pulls a chicken out through the coop fence ?

[EM Squared Farms]

Does anyone have any clues on who "the predator" would be that pulled a chicken out of the coop through the fence in the afternoon ?

We did see a Florida Bobcat prowling around in the late afternoon, early evening (the day one of our chickens was missing - just feathers left - and the coop door opened a gap).

I've heard raccoons hunt during the day and can get at your chickens.

We thought our coop was predator proof, after giving proper houses, away from the edges of the coop. But then we discovered one missing. Just a wing and some feathers left. No bends in the fencing or anything. This one partition of the coop didn't have the smaller rabbit wire fencing along the bottom.

Any thoughts ?

 

[TigerLilly]

I don't have any experience with predators, other than a dog I had to get rid of, but I always thought that raccoons were nocturnal? I would think it would sound like either a bobcat or raccoon though, from your description of it being pulled through.

 

[Katy]

Cats will do that too.

 

[cupman]

Raccoons are notorious for pulling chickens out through the wire. I don't think a large cat would pull a chicken through, they don't have the little hands and they are probably strong enough to break their way in.

Raccoons seldom hunt during the day, but it's been known to happen. I'd put my money on the coon.

 

[nickie]

Raccoons ate good at the piece by peice through a fence.

 

[MetalSmitten]

raccoons have pulled a couple of mine through chicken wire, without ripping the fence. i would also say coon.

sorry to hear

time for a live trap - it'll be back, whatever it was.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I've had a couple of wild barn cats that did that exact thing more than once until I caught them in the act. They grabbed onto the chicken and pulled them thru with no problem.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

We are thinking it's a bobcat. We are going to contact a bobcat trapper and try and set up an arrangement for him to trap on our property.

The first day one of our cockerels went missing, a bobcat was spotted later that evening.

It's hard to know who the culprit is until they are "caught in the act."

We have 1 dog and 3 cats. There has been a couple escapee chickens and the dog never bothered it. One of our little cats walks the top of the coop.

I spent the day yesterday overlaying chicken wire over garden fencing (the 2" x 4" rectangles) along the bottom borders.

My son said he saw some impressions in the damp ground. It led them to where a bone was dropped. He describes them as prints sunk down in the ground and flattened grass in a tall, grassy field on the other side of the fence where the bone was dropped.

Hopefully we'll be able to finish up the other half of the coop this weekend. One wall is still not reinforced with another layer of fence, since it is an inside wall. I did try and block it the best I could with a huge ladder and extra smaller pieces of fence, and a garbage can lid. Anything to try and blockade the edges of the coop. The chickens don't know any better. They just hang out and relax and sometimes fall asleep next to the fence.

Hopefully after this bobcat is trapped, we'll feel a little more at ease. We want to take care of this predator before we expect our little baby goats to be born.

I'll keep you posted !

 

[colebarnhart]

Quote:
With 2"x4" inch gaps then it could be almost any predator. Chicken wire won't save them from a raccoon either, they'll still be able to reach thru. I had several die that way, been there, done that.

 

[chisNchickens]

Opossums will do it too. I had one reach in a rat cage and pull the rat through enough to chew his head off:-(
Its those darned thumbs...