Woke up this morning to 3 out of 5 chickens dead

[ehoneybee]

I guess I got too complacent. Our only predators have been hawks and obviously they don't attack at night. But something came in from up top of the run ripped it open and got the chickens who like to sleep on top of their coop. There's no entry other than from above but I suppose it could have been something that climbed the side of the run, which is chicken wire, and clawed its way through the top which is plastic bird netting. I even heard something last night like gobbling but I thought it was this night bird near us that I've heard before. I could have saved at least some of them I think. I'm so sad. My 3 year old and I found them this morning and my 2 others will be home from school in a few hours. One seems to be alive and sitting on top of 4 eggs. I don't understand when they would've laid eggs. This is awful.

 

[HenHouse4Life]

Sorry for your loss
Could be a coon that got into your run
Chicken (poultry) wire = not predator proof. Best to use hardware cloth and get in the practice of locking up the flock at night

 

[ehoneybee]

I should clarify, one is missing, one is dying/dead, and one is dead in the run. I thought owl, but maybe raccoon?

 

[danceswithronin]

I should clarify, one is missing, one is dying/dead, and one is dead in the run. I thought owl, but maybe raccoon?

I would suspect a raccoon over an owl.

Are you in a rural area? I am so paranoid of this happening because I have netting up all around on my run (including the top), but it is just draped over the top of the fence and there is a four-inch triangular gap in the very center. It would take something crawling across the nets to get in but I have no doubt a determined raccoon could pull it off. So far I've delayed further security just because I'm behind a six-foot privacy fence in the suburbs and my yard is patrolled by dogs at night, but stories like this make me nervous.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I should clarify, one is missing, one is dying/dead, and one is dead in the run. I thought owl, but maybe raccoon?

Owls don't rip open netting. Or kill more than one.

Raccoon, weasel, domestic dog, fox, coyote, opossum... Just to name a few...

Type of wound can be telling.

Sorry for your loss!

 

[ehoneybee]

Sorry for your loss
Could be a coon that got into your run
Chicken (poultry) wire = not predator proof. Best to use hardware cloth and get in the practice of locking up the flock at night

Our original flock always roosted in the coop but we got all new hens and they were used to roosting in a barn. I used to manually move them in every night but stopped doing thats months ago

 

[ehoneybee]

I would suspect a raccoon over an owl.

Are you in a rural area? I am so paranoid of this happening because I have netting up all around on my run (including the top), but it is just draped over the top of the fence and there is a four-inch triangular gap in the very center. It would take something crawling across the nets to get in but I have no doubt a determined raccoon could pull it off. So far I've delayed further security just because I'm behind a six-foot privacy fence in the suburbs and my yard is patrolled by dogs at night, but stories like this make me nervous.

It is rural but also in town so we don't seem to have the usual predators that other more rural areas have. Well, I guess I'm wrong. It was all hawks all the time and now it's a whole new ball game.

 

[ehoneybee]

Owls don't rip open netting. Or kill more than one.

Raccoon, weasel, domestic dog, fox, coyote, opossum... Just to name a few...

Type of wound can be telling.

Sorry for your loss!

The dead hen has no marks on her that I can see. I'll know more once I move her out. The other one looks intact. She has some blood above her eye and coming from her mouth

 

[TwistedSteel]

Borrow or buy a hava heart box type trap, wire the dead chicken inside so it`s not easy to remove and set it inside the run with the chickens locked in the coop. Or set it outside the coop and keep the dog inside. Best take that coon out before it gets another free meal.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm so sorry to hear this! It's always distressing when predators get in and decimate your flock. I hope you are able to determine what the nightly marauder was and keep it from coming back to finish the job. I wish it a severe case of indigestion!