What took my chickens?

[shortgrass]

I have seen wolf pee advertised. I am unsure about Colorado but I have killed coyotes almost every year while they were hunting in the daylight. A rooster will call one up crowing just like a turkey. You may not have had one killer but two or more. I have seen coyotes together more than fox.

Lol I guess I should say I don't know about coyotes anywhere BUT Colorado ha-ha

Sure, they come out during the day, all the time. However, they are pack animals, and they HUNT at night. They won't come within 100 yards of the place during daylight here, where a fox will run right through the garden while I'm IN it

At night, however, the situation changes. The coyotes howl to each other within FEET of our back door, and will tear into trash if they can't get into the coops or barns because of the dogs..

Dogs are just about the only way to really and seriously keep coyotes or foxes away. Really, any predator can be deterred by a good guard dog. And even then, there are no guarantees...

On the urine.. I use urine to ATTRACT furbeareres, never to repel. But I've read of some people that try it, not sure if they could stand the smell though

 

[ameliadanielle]

Try to look for tracks or which direction they drug the carcasses off to, maybe they left some tracks somewhere. Also, you could probably use the dead chickens in a couple of live traps. You might catch your culprit... or more possums. Dead chickens are a possum magnet. Coyotes, foxes, and bob cats will all hunt day or night. Also if they were not behind a fence, search around the property really good. Sometimes if chickens are attacked and scattered some will run off and hunker down in tall patches of grass or under bushes and they'll be completely still and quiet. Especially if it was close to dark, they will stay that way all night. I've seen my chickens do it when they got scared off the roost by something at night.

When a wild animal finds an easy meal, they will be back. So keeping the chickens locked up until the predator is put down will be safest for them. I've seen trail cams at walmart in the hunting section as cheap as $50. Though, someone posted with a rifle would be a faster solution.

 

[hayley3]

Okay I have an update. There have been two dogs hanging out at the neighbors...I thought they were his. One is a lab and the other a basset hound. The basset hound walked up today to my barn like he lived here. So now I"m wondering if it was a fox. Today I saw them running like they were chasing something. So I go outside and couldn't find my goose. I went into hysterics for about 20 mins til I found her in the fenced in pasture. She has never been in the pasture before...never because she killed my silky bantam rooster. Anywaaaay, I thought she was dead. I'm surrounded by fields of 7 foot tall grass so I couldn't see where they were going but finally I saw her standing beside my goats. I hugged her in relief. She thought I was crazy. lol She had to fly to get over the fence. What a relief that was!

So my ex brought me a 22 rifle and showed me how to use it. Much easier than I thought it was ..no recoil at all. I called the sheriff and he said I had every right to shoot them.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Wild dogs are hands down the most dangerous. Unlike foxes or coyotes they are not afraid of humans and buildings. Definitely a good idea to eliminate them.
please though take a few shooting classes a hunting class, or at least start practicing regularly. Become familiar with your gun or you could do more harm then good.

 

[shortgrass]

Wild dogs are hands down the most dangerous. Unlike foxes or coyotes they are not afraid of humans and buildings. Definitely a good idea to eliminate them.
please though take a few shooting classes a hunting class, or at least start practicing regularly. Become familiar with your gun or you could do more harm then good.

X2!
X2
X2

Ugh that stinks

 

[hayley3]

I was in the Air Force and they taught us how to shoot. Of course I don't use a gun on a daily basis. I just needed to know how this particular rifle worked.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

That is fine, I do not know you personally, that is just advice I would give anyone who got a new gun.
Those wild dogs could be very dangerous. They will not hesitate to kill your dog and even attacking you. Be careful!

 

[ameliadanielle]

Ugh. The worst chicken killing dogs my dad ever had to deal with were a couple of black lab neighbor dogs. I guess as they were bred for retrieving birds that has something to do with it. We tried all kinds of things to deter these dogs, but what worked was my dad loading up about 50 of the birds they had killed and dumping them in the neighbors front yard. He kept them chained after that. Not knowing who the owners are... or if they are just strays... shooting them may be your only option. They won't stop until there is nothing left.

 

[Tumbling K]

Ugh. The worst chicken killing dogs my dad ever had to deal with were a couple of black lab neighbor dogs. I guess as they were bred for retrieving birds that has something to do with it.

We tried all kinds of things to deter these dogs, but what worked was my dad loading up about 50 of the birds they had killed and dumping them in the neighbors front yard. He kept them chained after that. Not knowing who the owners are... or if they are just strays... shooting them may be your only option. They won't stop until there is nothing left.

that's terrible.

I was super lucky, my yella lab had a super soft mouth. When we had stubborn birds, that wouldn't want to return to the roost in the evenings, he was great bringing them to me. of course he was my duck/goose dog.

 

[Stephanie R]

Hi,

I'm a bit distraught over losing my chickens and I just need some input if anyone has any ideas.
I came home from work to find a massacre in my barn area. 5 of my chickens are gone including my white silky Rooster named Reuben, and the other two chickens I found on the ground. I found a possum with one chicken but I think he just got the carnage that was left over. I am suspecting a fox but I can't figure out why a fox would not take two of the bodies. Whatever took them, chased the chickens all over in daylight so I know it wasn't the possum although I wanted to kill the possum just for the simple fact he was there and I had no one else to kill. So will a fox kill a bunch and then carry them off individually. Why kill it and not carry it off. They say dogs just leave the chickens laying since they kill for sport so I don't think it was a dog.

I went back to work and this happens. I have to let them out an hour earlier or they stay cooped up all day. I love my chickens and I'm very sad that they suffered.

Thanks,
Cheryl

I have nothing to contribute as to why this happened or how to prevent it, but just wanted to say that my heart goes out to you. I would be crushed if something happened to my girls.