So my beautiful, huge lavender Orpington 3 yr old rooster disappeared from the back yard while husband was fifty feet away from the free ranging birds, on the side of the house. Besides a few feathers not a clue as to the predator. D suddenly heard a racket and went running to the chicken yard to find very disturbed chickens and a few lavender down feathers. It was 4 pm. It seems too early for Coyote but no pile of feathers like from a hawk. There seemed to be somewhat of a trail of feathers into the forest but they were 12 feet apart so it may be an imagined trail. What do you think got my big boy? KatD Magnolia Texas
I'd bet coyote. They have harassed me this year and it doesn't seem to matter what time it is. Hope you get him.
It does sound like the work of a coyote or fox. Is this free range area wide open or is there some type of perimeter fence to hold predators out? Preferably an electric fence perimeter?
We had a bobcat in the neighborhood 2 weeks ago. I spotted it one night, another neighbor spotted at 4 pm the next day. An hour later another neighbor saw the bobcat running off with another neighbor's chicken. I've only seen coyotes at night here in DFW. We use the Nextdoor app to warn each other about predators, strange cars, and such. We also sell stuff, brag on kids, announce needs (meals after surgery, babysitting, ...) It's like facebook, but limited to your neighborhood so you can watch out for each other without broadcasting to the whole world.
We are surrounded by forest. The secure Coop and run area was open so the chickens could free range in the pasture behind the house. All the chickens were clamoring a fuss and didn't want to go into the coop. They are used to cats and dogs so wouldn't run from an animal that looked like that. In fact, our shepherd kind of looks like a coyote. We think maybe a coyote popped out of the forest behind the coops, trotted between the buildings and around the corner, right into the run door, walked directly up to the unsuspecting General, snatched him up and shot back into the forest before we even knew he had been there. It was fast. I was sitting at the living room window in full view. Dion was on the side of the house, not fifty feet away installing windshield wipers on my vehicle. As soon as he heard the clattering he darted over there. He saw a few lavender down feathers and no sign of the General and hit the living room window for me to come out. We searched and never saw a kill spot like with a hawk, just a few feathers every 12 feet or so leading into the forest and one 10 feet in. We don't have an electric fence but our main run and all the coops except the temps in the dog yard are secure underground. We are looking into poultry netting with electric kit. Thanks for the idea Howard E.
I'm thinking you're right. We hear them enough to know they aren't going anywhere any time soon and the more land that develops around us the closer they get. I hope we get him too but I don't have much hope as the forest is six feet behind the coops. We could clear the land but then the rabbits loose cover too. I think the poultry netting with electric kit and limited free ranging is the answer. Even if we cleared its still behind the coup and the property line is 15 feet away. Can't clear that. Thanks for your input.
