Chicken carnage

[David P]

My wife woke me up this morning in tears as something killed 10 of our meat chickens. We had them in a Joel Salatin style tractor, although ours are 6 x 10, and whatever it was dug underneath and dragged them out into the field. One of them was dragged up the driveway, probably around 450 feet from the tractor. I'm thinking it was likely a weasel as they really weren't eaten, although it did bite the heads off a couple and the rear-ends out of a couple (a few had their breasts exposed but not much eaten). The dig marks looked like a slender animal, perhaps even an opossum. We have coyotes around but the dig spots didn't appear to be large enough to accomodate one.

Tonight I'm planning on adding a 1 - 1.5 foot strip of welded wire and/or chicken wire along the ground around the perimeter of our tractors (we have three). I think this will discourage them from digging, as long as the outside of the wire is staked down. In addition, if we continue doing the meat birds I'm thinking that we'll have to add some poultry fencing (electric) and perhaps an outside dog to ward off these nightime predators, although my wife is so mad right now that I should just let her sleep out there for a day or two. They get a load of her and they'll probably move into the next county!

BTW, I should add that we move these tractors every day onto fresh ground so putting the chicken wire, etc, underneath the tractors is probably not a good option for us. I'm open to any other ideas, though.

 

[kioskcarp]

My wife woke me up this morning in tears as something killed 10 of our meat chickens. We had them in a Joel Salatin style tractor, although ours are 6 x 10, and whatever it was dug underneath and dragged them out into the field. One of them was dragged up the driveway, probably around 450 feet from the tractor. I'm thinking it was likely a weasel as they really weren't eaten, although it did bite the heads off a couple and the rear-ends out of a couple (a few had their breasts exposed but not much eaten). The dig marks looked like a slender animal, perhaps even an opossum. We have coyotes around but the dig spots didn't appear to be large enough to accomodate one.

Tonight I'm planning on adding a 1 - 1.5 foot strip of welded wire and/or chicken wire along the ground around the perimeter of our tractors (we have three). I think this will discourage them from digging, as long as the outside of the wire is staked down. In addition, if we continue doing the meat birds I'm thinking that we'll have to add some poultry fencing (electric) and perhaps an outside dog to ward off these nightime predators, although my wife is so mad right now that I should just let her sleep out there for a day or two. They get a load of her and they'll probably move into the next county!

BTW, I should add that we move these tractors every day onto fresh ground so putting the chicken wire, etc, underneath the tractors is probably not a good option for us. I'm open to any other ideas, though.

Electric poultry neeting and a great Pyrenees will defiantly help.

 

[sal64]

best thing to do is build a coop inside you chicken tractor with plywood or the heavy wire 1/2x 1. and put purches and lock them in at night.if its a weasel it still could find a way in.i had same problem now i lock my chickens in a coop at night.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Not a weasel if tit was there would be nothing wrong with the birds at first glance. 22 rifle might be the only answer. The critter, likely a possum will come back to the same pen tonight. Be at a good place to do it in. Once it starts it wont stop.

 

[Clint S]

Sorry man we had 5 and lost the, all in the last week. They just range around and go in the barn at night. Just found the head of one last week and then something got the other a few days ago in the barn.

 

[randy41]

electric poultry netting works. premier fence has it as others do. i wouldn't rely on a dog.

 

[OldMcDonald]

I am not familiar with your wildlife, so cannot offer an opinion on what it was. I have had many thousands of hens over several decades in a few countries and the problem is the same the world over. Foxes have always been the culprit of this type of killing where I have been. Pine martens and wildcats in the far North of Scotland killed cleanly, and the Mountain Lion we had (not native to Scotland) only took one at a time.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Something to several of my brother in laws chickens last week. Mostly just killed them (5 I think he said) with one had the breast partially eaten but the rest were just killed for the fun of it. I don't know what would do that. I have seen a fox a couple miles from us and it looks like it has raised a family. We don't normally get any animals inside our fenced in 42 acre facility, but small critters could crawl thru the 4x4 net wire fencing or a fox could dig under. I did find one area where something had dug a hole under the fence, so I filled it with rocks and it hasn't been re-disturbed. He has a German Shepherd and a Lab that sometimes stay out at night. Our German Shepherd is kept in at night unless he wants to go outside to do some business and he comes back in pretty quickly. So far we haven't lost any chickens since a pack of wild dogs got in a couple years ago while I was in Africa. Brother in law found the hole and fixed that and no more problem with dog packs.

Maybe it is time to invest in one of those animal callers that make the squealing rabbit, etc noise to attract predators and just set out one night close to the woods and see what comes. A night vision google would be nice to have also. Last time I heard of one of those being used, one of my other brother in laws was setting in his truck with the doors open playing the caller and a bobcat came up inside his truck. Both parties got a good scare when he turned on the interior lights.

 

[oosik]

I know that nobody keeps chickens out this way. Too much work trying to keep them living. Everything under the sun will eat your chickens - one family down the road has peacocks. Noisy beasts. About a dozen years ago I lost seven cats over a one week period to a darn mountain lion. And the closest mountains are well over 100 miles away. Hunters use dogs to get the mt lions in an area only five miles west of my place - and they are quite successful - I've seen one in the back of a hunters pickup.

Anyhow - I harvest my chicken at Costco.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I was visiting with a young man recently regarding a custom knife, and noticed he had a pen full of chickens. We discussed them for a minute, and I asked him about a curious device he had hanging from the fence. He said it was a predator light; that it emitted an Infra Red beam that predators interpreted as another predator, and when they see it, they leave. He said he had witnessed coyote tracks in the snow, coming around his workshop that approached the pen, and then abruptly turned and left. He said it really worked. New to me; here's something I found on the internet that appears to be what he had:

The link disappeared! I'll see if I can find another!

Here's one version, called "Niteguard".

Nite Guard Solar | Predator Lights & Protection

I have no way of knowing for sure if they work, but what the heck...worth a try?