Posted: 6/13/2011 6:35:34 PM EDT
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We have a moderate flock of chickens that we keep up, about 20-25. They have their own building that locks securely. Their coop opens up to a fenced area, fence is chain with 4x4 wood poles.
6 nights ago something killed 5 chickens, ate most of one 1, killed 1 and took three. 2 nights ago we lost another 3. I'm not sure what it is but its fairly big. Tonight i went out to lock them up and as i approached something ran back into the woods. It was fairly big because it broke some big branches on the ground and caused a fair amount of noise. Not sure what to do. Last night i stayed out at a distance with a rifle and waited for it but nothing showed. We have killed 3 possums in the past but they never touched the chickens, just the eggs. Live trap doesn't work and this thing appears to be too smart to get caught by us. Any help or comments appreciated. I think it could be a coyote, coon, possum or wild dog. No idea. |
I'd go with the game cam too, and probably spend some sleepless nights waiting to waylay the varmint.
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Quoted: We have a moderate flock of chickens that we keep up, about 20-25. They have their own building that locks securely. Their coop opens up to a fenced area, fence is chain with 4x4 wood poles. 6 nights ago something killed 5 chickens, ate most of one 1, killed 1 and took three. 2 nights ago we lost another 3. I'm not sure what it is but its fairly big. Tonight i went out to lock them up and as i approached something ran back into the woods. It was fairly big because it broke some big branches on the ground and caused a fair amount of noise. Not sure what to do. Last night i stayed out at a distance with a rifle and waited for it but nothing showed. We have killed 3 possums in the past but they never touched the chickens, just the eggs. Live trap doesn't work and this thing appears to be too smart to get caught by us. Any help or comments appreciated. I think it could be a coyote, coon, possum or wild dog. No idea. Clarification needed. If the building locks securely, how is the critter getting to the chickens? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
We have a moderate flock of chickens that we keep up, about 20-25. They have their own building that locks securely. Their coop opens up to a fenced area, fence is chain with 4x4 wood poles. 6 nights ago something killed 5 chickens, ate most of one 1, killed 1 and took three. 2 nights ago we lost another 3. I'm not sure what it is but its fairly big. Tonight i went out to lock them up and as i approached something ran back into the woods. It was fairly big because it broke some big branches on the ground and caused a fair amount of noise. Not sure what to do. Last night i stayed out at a distance with a rifle and waited for it but nothing showed. We have killed 3 possums in the past but they never touched the chickens, just the eggs. Live trap doesn't work and this thing appears to be too smart to get caught by us. Any help or comments appreciated. I think it could be a coyote, coon, possum or wild dog. No idea. Clarification needed. If the building locks securely, how is the critter getting to the chickens? The building does lock securely, when we lock it nothing gets in. The thing will appear early morning or late evening before or after we lock it. I'm camping out tonight, we'll see what happens. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
We have a moderate flock of chickens that we keep up, about 20-25. They have their own building that locks securely. Their coop opens up to a fenced area, fence is chain with 4x4 wood poles. 6 nights ago something killed 5 chickens, ate most of one 1, killed 1 and took three. 2 nights ago we lost another 3. I'm not sure what it is but its fairly big. Tonight i went out to lock them up and as i approached something ran back into the woods. It was fairly big because it broke some big branches on the ground and caused a fair amount of noise. Not sure what to do. Last night i stayed out at a distance with a rifle and waited for it but nothing showed. We have killed 3 possums in the past but they never touched the chickens, just the eggs. Live trap doesn't work and this thing appears to be too smart to get caught by us. Any help or comments appreciated. I think it could be a coyote, coon, possum or wild dog. No idea. Clarification needed. If the building locks securely, how is the critter getting to the chickens? The building does lock securely, when we lock it nothing gets in. The thing will appear early morning or late evening before or after we lock it. I'm camping out tonight, we'll see what happens. Can you take pics? To me...'locks securely' means an enclosed metal structure that only a human can enter. My coop is corrugated metal on the top, front, back, left and right, with a solid plywood floor. The only window is covered in wire. The only ground level opening is protected by an outer-fence. This outer-fence is protected on three sides (top, left, right) by a solid metal wall. This opening is closed with a solid metal door. ... that is 'locks securely' to me. What does your coop look like...? How high were the broken branches? Was there loose soil for a track? Did you look for buzzards to find the missing chickens? Urban or rural? What natural predators live in your part of Michigan? Bears? TRG |
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Sounds hoaxy to me but there are LEDs that you can attach to your coop that turn on at night and imitate an animals "night eyes". It it supposed to look like an even bigger predator and scare off other critters. I don't know if they work but it maybe something you might want to google. I heard about them through BYC. |
| You're also definitely gonna have to fix your fence. Whatever setup you have now doesn't just support the critter getting in but also leaving with a chicken...big hole. Is your fencing dug into the ground? Maybe some hardware cloth wrapped around the bottom 48 inches or so. Is the top of the run fenced in as well or is it open? |