who took my chickens??

[townie]

Hello!
I am looking for some help as to who took (and I mean killed) my chickens. They are free range during the day and cooped up at night. I live near the Myakka River State Park-lot's of wildlife. They were cooped up and in the AM hole in chicken wire and it looks like they were pulled thru the hole. Lots of feathers on the ground one pile of one chicken and another pile of the others. No bodies. No blood.Trail of feathers up driveway to street. The state park is across the street. The last chicken is still alive but scalped! Poor thing, but I think she's going to be OK!
So here is my question-What took them?? I have read that a raccoon would kill it and leave it. A fox would not de-feather it right here. Could an owl pull it out of the coop? Another animal I have been told was a bobcat, but would that leave a lot of blood??
Any suggestions would be helpful!
Thanks!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hi and welcome - though sorry it is under these circumstances.
The answer to what took your birds is - it could have been just about anything....including domestic dogs. You say the birds are "cooped up" at night, but it sounds like you are saying only that they are confined to the enclosed run/coop, not actually locked into the coop building itself, is that correct? Because of your location and the presence of such a likely predator load, I would suggest that you revisit the use of poultry netting (chicken wire) for your run, especially if the birds will be accessible through it at night rather than locked into the actual coop building itself during the dusk to dawn hours (when they are most vulnerable). Poultry netting is good for keeping birds in, but absolutely useless when it comes to keeping much of anything out....as you can see by the fact that there is now a hole in your fencing. I realize that is not what you were asking, but to me its less about what took these birds and more about how to protect your birds moving forward.

 

[thomasboyle]

Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately there are too many predators to narrow it down to one. Coyotes, bobcat and foxes will grab and run, leaving nothing but a pile of feathers from the initial attack. Anyone of them could pull a chicken through a small opening in a fence. I agree with Mare, chicken wire is for keeping chickens in, not predators out. I used it only inside my coop building, to keep the chickens out of the "people" area of the coop. For a run, 1/2" hardware wire is often used.

I am a big believer in electric net fences and trail cameras. I was losing 2-3 birds a month, and I set up 2 cameras near the coop and found out I had a bobcat problem. I have also captured pictures of coyotes, bears, raccoons and possums near the coop. Birds would disappear with only a pile of feathers and then a trail of 1 feather every 15-20 feet through the underbrush. I set up 48" high net fence around the chicken yard, and that stopped all losses for the past 2 seasons. It costs a bit to get the charger and fencing, but it brings great peace of mind knowing the birds are safe from attack.

 

[townie]

Hi! Thanks for your notes and sympathy! Last night we found a dead baby deer-not much left but it's head and legs. We talked to a neighbor who has lived in this area for a long time and were told probably a bobcat.
I set up a camera by the coop and got a nice video of a bobcat. So at least I know what I am up against and can protect my birds properly.
So thanks for the advice and letting me share my story.