why do the predators only eat my girls?

[kefiren]

seriously. i've never lost a rooster. i keep extra, just in case. never lost a one.
i've never lost a male chick or cockerel.

only girl chicks, pullets, hens and even old biddies. the boys are immune. maybe i should have a rooster farm.

i guess i'm just venting.

 

[calicokat]

Chalk it up to Murphy's Law - darn Murphy!

 

[gatorridgechics]

We have the same problem of 9 lost in the last year only 1 was a Roo. Our favorite roo none the less. I hate Murphy!

 

[Oregon Blues]

Perhaps the roosters are quicker moving. Hens do tend to be fat and slow.

Anyone (not talking to anyone specific) who loses multiple birds to predators really should be happy to accept their losses and not complain about it. People who lose birds to predators and really don't like it, pen their birds up in safe housing so they don't lose any of them.

It is a personal choice. Some people hold free ranging to be extremely important. Those people must accept that some of their birds will be killed. Other people feel it is more important to protect their birds than it is to allow them to wander loose.

 

[gatorridgechics]

Perhaps the roosters are quicker moving. Hens do tend to be fat and slow.

Anyone (not talking to anyone specific) who loses multiple birds to predators really should be happy to accept their losses and not complain about it. People who lose birds to predators and really don't like it, pen their birds up in safe housing so they don't lose any of them.

It is a personal choice. Some people hold free ranging to be extremely important. Those people must accept that some of their birds will be killed. Other people feel it is more important to protect their birds than it is to allow them to wander loose.

I don't think anyone that looses a member of thier flock is going to be "happy", wether they are free range or in a pen. I've lost as many birds that are in coops that I have that are free range. Most predators are usually pretty motivated and can still get into a coop. I understand that my FR birds have a higher chance of being killed, I do accept that everyone dies. My only predator problem with my free range birds is my neighbors dogs and cats. And I am certainly NOT happy that they allow their animals to wander around unsupervised. My animals do not travel to thier house. And I know you said you were not talking to anyone in particular, but since I left it out of my previous post, the 9 I have lost this year includes weak chicks and a couple very old hens.

 

[kefiren]

thanks for your opinions and support.

today i went out and found that the same predator (i'm assuming, but hey, could be a whole nuther one) that took the girl chick that i originally posted about, dug a hole and got into my barn last night. talk about motivated. took 3 more chicks. one of them was a boy, so i guess my streak just ended--but not in a good way--he got 2 more girls.

we are just completing a new coop that is up off the ground...this pen is going to have a completely fenced and covered run, but i was only going to use it for breeding and raising chicks.

i don't think i'll ever give up ranging the rest of my flock in my large, grassy fenced paddock. however, it does seem like chicks and pullets are more at risk than grown birds or cockerels.

hubby wants to get an alpaca