Why would someone do this???

[Bizzybirdy]

Oh gosh! So sorry for your losses.

Bad enough to deal with maniacal 4 legged predators let alone maybe 2 AND 4 legged ones together.

Hope you find lots more of your babies alive...sometimes they will hide for a few days if they are really scared.

And hope you find whoever or whatever did this and SOON. Predators that kill are usually trying to survive...humans that kill are sociopaths.

 

[Sissy]

So sorry you for your loss.Who would do this?... Idiots!!!
With out a brain in their head.
But do report this . to your local sheriff.ASAP
We had to put locks on all 5 coops and now we are installing a barn gate with a chain and lock across our drive.

 

[highcountrychickens]

This is so heartbreaking and must be deeply disturbing! I'm so sorry it happened, and glad you continue to find your birds... I hope you find more of them. There is so much good advice in this thread, I won't try to improve upon it, especially that which suggests having the police come to your house (besides having them see for themselves, there is a visual establishment of their presence on your property) The only other suggestion I would make is mostly out of frustration for you. but we have electric fencing around our garden that is burly enough to ward off Buffalo (Bison) I hate to say that my hands rub together at the thought that you could string this around your barn and fire it up at night, full strength... The perpetrator would certainly give themselves away... or it would knock their pacemaker out of whack.

Good luck finding the rest of your babies, and catching the predator.

 

[bragabit]

I really hope more of your babies show up alive. I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Jolyn]

Could your boys have gone out and accidentally left the barn open??? The only reason i ask is because it has happened here. I have a 5 and 8 year old and they have forgotten to latch the coop before.

Do you ever have complaints about roosters crowing from neighbors? I always worry about that. Anyone new that has recently been out to your property buying eggs?

If it was a person they knew your property and they new what kind of animals you had.



I am soooo sorry for your loss. It has got to be difficult to discover something like this!!!

 

[JewellFarm]

That is so terrible. I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Katy]

I haven't read all the posts, but could the people who have it in for you and listed your house for sale have been the ones to do this?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

So sorry to hear what happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As others have said,

camera's are your friend
boot DH in the butt and get them installed

I hate to say it but more than likely they will be back. Years ago we were living just outside Elizabeth City, NC not to far from a "questionable" neighborhood, I was working alot of overtime and often wasn't home until 9 or 10 at night. Some locals thought it was fun to bang on the doors at night etc. One night the truck was in the shop so they figured I wasn't home and when they came around I was waiting. It was pitch black when I went out the back door and sure enough around front there was 3 shapes around the front door. A .44 magnum makes a fireball about 3 feet in dia when you shoot it at night.

For some reason they where startled by that and took off back to the woods, the best part was when they were running back thru the woods you could hear branches breaking, thuds when they fell, and ouch'es and other words that can't typed here. For some reason all the problems stopped after that. Now it's no worries at all, you have to drive thru a cornfield just to get to where our property starts.

Steve in NC

 

[Boyd]

Quote:

 

[sred98]

Quote:
No, it wasn't the boys. When they do get up earlier than me (rarely) and let the chickens out, they come in and tell me. There really aren't many neighbors around to complain. I can hear other people's roosters crowing. Actually, I had my first crow yesterday...my blue Andalusian. It was a surprise.

I just got back from filing a police report. I had to go into town anyway, because my cell phone server decided we can't get service within a 10 mile radius of the house, today, so I went in. The officer was very sympathetic. It was kind of cute...when I told him how many were missing, he said, "Do they run away from home often?"

It was really hard to keep a straight face, when I told him they never leave my sight when they are outside. He was so sincere, and admitted he knew nothing about chickens, but that some neighbors had them and they ran away all the time. He seemed genuinely interested in the chickens.

I got home and saw DIERK up by the front door. He must have been hiding and came back when he saw the van. He is bald on his backside, and a little shocky, so he is in my bathroom drinking Pedialyte.

I also found my white rock pullet, and Wellsummer roo. I got them in with the others in the barn. I offered to let everyone come into the backyard but no one wants to leave the barn. That gives me hope that there are others out there. Hopefully they make it back in by nightfall, otherwise they'll not survive the night. Too many wild predators.

I find it interesting that this morning when I woke up, I told DH I had dreamed about a Mountain Lion attacking our cat (who is fine) and he had a similar dream. Maybe subconsciously we heard something? We both find it hard to believe that neither one of us heard a thing. But, no windows in the bedroom and the air on, so maybe that's why.

I'm still missing the babies and the Andalusian roo. I'm hoping the survivors make it.

DH is installing the cameras tonight.

Shelly