Why did my rooster kill all my hens??

[redsoxs]

Hate to sound like a broken record but I think likewise it is a predator - most likely a weasel judging from the wound descriptions. They often will kill well beyond what they would ever eat. Plus they are basically an elongated mouse with a vicious disposition and could easily get in where one would think it would be impossible for them to do so. Sorry for your loss.

 

[N F C]

I agree with the others, this isn't your rooster's doing, it was a predator he was trying to protect the hens from.

Maybe this will help? This link will take you to the Learning Center article about predators and it includes information on how each to id based on method of kill:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock

Sorry for your losses.

 

[sdc302]

Ok I'm going to stop and buy more wire, right now I have chainlink wrapped with chicken wire top too. with chicken wire buried around the outside going out about 1-2 feet.
Going to try to find some very small
Holed wire how far up should I wrap? I'm assuming if it's a predator they can climb.

 

[Tony K T]

I'm thinking a rat.They love to eat the brains.A weasel or mink will kill everything in the cage just for fun and eat very little.
If there is no signs on the ground,look up predators will come from all directions.A tree overhanging your pen is a highway for anything.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Blooie]

The others are so right...your rooster didn't do this. Without pictures of your setup, it's very hard to tell where your issue might be, and you said there are no signs of where anything could get in. But might I suggest you look UP as well as down? There are so many variables and predators are able to exploit all of them....

Do you have trees around or close to your setup? A shed or garage? Raccoon or mink can use them as ladders and get in through small gaps at the top that you might not even be aware exist. They don't need them to gain access, though - they can climb right up the sides of the run. If it's a rat problem, they could be IN the coop or run even as you are out there investigating. They can (and will) hide in ground nests under feeders deep in the litter and you might never know they're in there. If your coop is tall, like mine, they could be tucked in the corner on top of a rafter and again, hiding in plain sight. No tracks around the setup could well mean they are already in there, hiding and sleeping during the day and coming out at night.

They can also peel back a small area of chicken fencing or chicken wire and because it's springy it can sometimes spring back and look like it's been undisturbed unless you look very carefully. At this point it's hard to say what's getting in or how, but you definitely have something in there and it's creating total carnage. A lot of people put aprons around their run fencing and skirts going up the run because it looks like the obvious place for predators to get in, but what do you have around the base of your coop? I have a skirt and apron around both. Photos in cases like this are so helpful.

 

[Jakenhoss]

X-3
X2

 

[cluckable]

I hope you haven't cooked that Rooster yet? He's not the problem......a predator is.

I lost many hens to foxes. Their heads were removed and bodies scattered but not taken, it seemed as if they were killed for sport targets.

The Rooster, and others, will pick at a dead "whatever" if they see blood.

 

[Jakenhoss]

roosters do not kill hens, they protect. A rooster will die protecting his girls. Roosters are always on duty watching and warning. Your roo got injured trying to fend off the predator(s). I would be thankful for him. You may have lost all the girls the 1st attack if it weren't for the roo. Check your pen closely for the smallest of opening.

 

[chicken4prez]

I hope you haven't cooked that Rooster yet? He's not the problem......a predator is.

I lost many hens to foxes. Their heads were removed and bodies scattered but not taken, it seemed as if they were killed for sport targets.

The Rooster, and others, will pick at a dead "whatever" if they see blood.

Yes the rooster will protect his hens, not kill them.

Same here. I don't think foxes usually eat chickens.

 

[sdc302]

Thanks everyone after really going over the cage we found one small hole. We have secured twists left of our guys in the coop and will be wrapping more wire and putting the skirting out farter