What the heck is killing my birds?

[EPIC CHICKEN]

ya you defiently have a weasle or a fisher all you can do is pray for it to leave unless you want to shoot it.

 

[Suzierd]

Good catch! Wow a Rat, unusual To see a rat go for a full grown chicken. But it could. I would keep that trap set just incase it's a scavenger and not the culprit.
Whatevers getting in my run eat the bait but didn't set off the trap. I may need to get a smaller trap. I'm using a coon trap. The hunting continues!

 

[Sueg4332]

I had a weasel come in and kill 12 of the 13 young pullet in one night. The 13th had its neck chewed on. They were in a small cage with 1 inch square holes in it. I saw the little weasel run off. I left the chicks there to see if it would come back. It did and my austie killed it. No more trouble...Nasty little animals they kill for fun...:

Well I just happen to have a live trap that I have set up several times with chicken liver as bait. Mostly it has been ignored, but a few times bait has disappeared. What I just did was to stuff the latest dead chicken into the trap and locked the rooster in the hen house. There is no way the dead bird can be dragged out without setting off the trap, so cross my fingers.

 

[docmarkc]

I'm pretty sure I was dealing with at least two and perhaps even three different preditors. First was coyotes and/or raccoons, just taking away birds at night. When I was down to a handfull and locked them in the coop with the yard, I started loosing them to rat or weasel who then couldn't take the carcass anywhere so they came back to feed. They killed one every few days until I am left with what I have now which is one lone rooster I will keep setting traps and laying poison. I hope this is going to resolve quick as I have to put my new chicks in the coop within the next week or so. They are too big for the shed I have them in now. (And I want my shed back)

 

[Beekissed]

You really need a juiced up fence and a good dog...seriously.

 

[docmarkc]

I take it my dachshund / chihuahua mix and my Poodle / Jack Russel mix just won't cut it huh? They don't like being outside without a human.
Unfortunately my big lab also ate rocks and that eventually killed him. I had hoped the llamas would guard the chickens. I guess not.

 

[docmarkc]

Still nothing in the rat traps. Last night something dragged my live trap with the chicken carcass around. The rat poison I have nailed to pallets in the chicken yard is untouched. The rooster is locked up in the hen house at night, I remove the rat poison and let him into the coop yard during the day.

I guess the next step is to nuke from orbit. I need whatever this (These) is (are) to go away so I can put out the new chicks! I sure wish I had a game camera.

 

[beauh]

Could it be an owl, you say only a few were killed each day....

 

[beauh]

Also they would fly in and scratch their heads and a chicken could last them three days, your bait may be being just eaten by scavengers...

 

[Beekissed]

I take it my dachshund / chihuahua mix and my Poodle / Jack Russel mix just won't cut it huh? They don't like being outside without a human.
Unfortunately my big lab also ate rocks and that eventually killed him. I had hoped the llamas would guard the chickens. I guess not.

Actually, those breeds just might do the trick....just don't let them into the the chickens because they also might become part of the problem. At least three of those breeds are good for killing rats and small preds, if left out at night to do their job. My sister had weenies that were quite the killers....killed rats, all her ducks, chickens, etc, and even killed a baby goat. They would kill and EAT any cat she got.

You might be surprised at just how good they would do.