who killed them

[Dan M]

ive had the chicks in with adults for a couple weeks. yesterday I caught the hens chasing one of them mercilessly. first time. this morning this morning I found pieces of one inside the coop. and a whole on by the fence with just the head gone. head seemed to be missing on the one found inside as well. there heads do fit through the fence. I don't know if the adults killed the little ones or if something got them from outside and then the adults dragged it inside and ate it. the little ones are about 9-10 weeks old and had no problems in the coop for a couple weeks. if picked on they hide under the nesting boxes where they cant be reached. really bummed out!!!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I found a little evidence right by the fence , a turd that looked like ground up crickets or something. I thought it was to big to be a skunk , then I caught a skunk gnawing on one of the carcasses on the compost pile, wasn't sure about him so I eliminated him. the 22 cal air rifle works well for all the animals listed as well.

The .22 caliber airifle is a great choice, and it is quiet. Will not disturb neighbors.

 

[CluckerCottage]

I am finding a dead chicken every other day the head is tore off, no other evidence than today we found another we found a blood trail than blood spray in several areas then the headless body. We later found the head approximately 20 feet away in the fall grass. This keeps happening during the day, our birds are free range. But all but one were found in the barn in the middle of the room and they were our biggest birds. I am so confused please help

Mercy, if I were experiencing a loss every other day, I believe I'd build a very sturdy predator-proof run rather than allowing the free-ranging to continue. Get your birds to safety, secure your barn so the predators cannot get in, set up a camera and identify your killer(s).
Get your shotgun ready and wait.
Very sorry for your losses.

 

[whirlwind2357]

Also, try adding more distractions into the pen so the older birds peck at the chicks less. I've found that a cabbage or a few apples suspended from somewhere high up keep my birds occupied for days and they don't fight as much.

 

[Intheswamp]

no, don't know how, was speaking of the run, door into coop stays open, yes, I don't know I guess I was just putting most of the damage on the others eating them. I think there are a few spots something could sqeeze under . I have a lot of skunks

It sounds like you have a insecure setup. I looked back on some of your previous threads and you were inquiring about clipping wings to keep your chickens from flying over the fence. Unless you have covered your run since the wing-clipping posts then your run is really not secured. 4-foot fence? 6-foot fence? Without putting a cover on about the best you could do would be run a couple of strands of electric fence wire around the perimeter...top and halfway up the side...maybe even a few inches from the ground.

If you can't secure the run then you have *got* to at least lock the chickens up at night in a *secure* coop! The pop door remaining open at night and opening into an insecure run...that's an open invitation to predators of all types. If the door can be closed then start closing it when the chickens go in at night. Do this for the next couple of weeks to see if you still have losses *inside* of the coop. If you continue to have chickens attacked inside the coop then you need to start looking for gaps that the predator(s) is entering through....and BLOCK IT!!!! Use 1/2" (or smaller mesh) hardware cloth.

If you *think* there are a few spots something could squeeze under the fence...they can. You need to add an apron around the perimeter of the run for diggers and to keep critters from squeezing beneath the fence.

Someone mentioned that if a raccoon can get it's head through a hole it can get the rest of it's body through it...that is correct. It's like their body turns into jello or something and they "pour" through the hole...really amazing. Possums are the same way.

I think the predator is walking in through the pop door, killing what it wants to, and dragging what it wants to into the run area. Sprinkle some flour over the walkway going into the coop and see if you have footprints in it the next morning. Of course if you see footprints this will also mean you have dead chickens waiting inside/outside the coop if you haven't secured it. If you secured the coop then you will just see the footprints where the predator walked up expecting to get in, but was hopefully unsuccessful and left.

Sorry, but until you secure your chicken coop and run your chickens will continue to suffer. It will take some work on your part but will be well worth the effort.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[BabyandCotton]

If a hen killed it, there would be full bodies. Do you have rats in your area? Sounds like a rats work.

 

[Dan M]

the one by the fence was whole minus the head, the on inside was dismembered, couldn't find the head. the others were pecking at the remains. ive never seen a rat or evidence of rats. there is a possum and several skunks in the area . I have 4 cats but they don't usualy pay any attention to the chickens. the weird thing is yesterday the adults had one of the chicks cornered against the fence with his head sticking out and they were all (9) pecking at it. that chick is not one of the ones that died

 

[dekel18042]

the one by the fence was whole minus the head, the on inside was dismembered, couldn't find the head. the others were pecking at the remains. ive never seen a rat or evidence of rats. there is a possum and several skunks in the area . I have 4 cats but they don't usualy pay any attention to the chickens. the weird thing is yesterday the adults had one of the chicks cornered against the fence with his head sticking out and they were all (9) pecking at it. that chick is not one of the ones that died

Missing head could also indicate a possum.

 

[Dan M]

is it normal for the rest to peck at and eat the carcass even if they didn't kill it ? will this promote cannibalism in the future ? I think I will eliminate the possum first chance I get. smaller net fencing ?

 

[BabyandCotton]

is it normal for the rest to peck at and eat the carcass even if they didn't kill it ? will this promote cannibalism in the future ? I think I will eliminate the possum first chance I get. smaller net fencing ?

Yes, no and yes. Also kill the possum