I have some sad news. Yesterday we apparently lost our mamma hen, Wingleg, and 7 of her 14 chicks. 5 of the Buff Orpington chicks and 2 of the White Rock chicks are gone. We heard the chickens making a commotion around 5:30 yesterday evening, but when Simon ran back to check, everything got quiet and he didn’t see anything. Later that evening, as we went up to milk Belle, we found several feathers that were the color of Wingleg. She apparently put up a fight, but a handful of feathers was the only evidence.
Also, last Friday, just 4 days earlier, a similar incident happened. We heard a commotion late afternoon/early evening, no evidence at all that time, and one of my Black Giant hens did not show up to roost in the coop and hasn’t been seen since.
I am diligent about locking the chickens up in a secure coop at night and they stay in a fenced lot all day until about 4:00. We then usually let them out to free range and enjoy the sun, grass, worms, and bugs for the last 4 or 5 hours of the day and then they all come back to roost in the coop and be shut in.
We have an abundance of tree, bush and weed cover for the chickens. We also have 4 dogs running around to protect the property, although they do nap a lot during the day.
What could be getting our chickens in the middle/end of the day? All I can think of is a hawk, but would a hawk take out 7 chicks and a mama hen all in one swoop?
I’m planning on leaving them all locked in their lots today, but I don’t want to do that all the time. I think they are healthier and happier when they are allowed to free range some. If I continue to free-range them, will I just have to accept loosing some of them every once in a while? But two attacks in 5 days is too many!
Any ideas or suggestions? Does anyone else have trouble with day-time chicken predators?
Thanks for the comments in advance.
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7 comments
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Karen on May 20, 2009 at 11:36 am
If we hadn't seen it with our own eyes we wouldn't have believed it. A fox was doing the same thing exactly as you have described to our chickens. The fox is so sneaky and sly about it that it's just a wonder that we saw him in action one day after chickens had been disappearing when we'd turn them out late in the afternoons.
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jrejhkids on May 20, 2009 at 11:47 am
We let ours out in the afternoon as well. We haven't lost any yet, but we don't have the woods, etc. Ours roam in the pasture with the steer and goat. We have lost one to a pig, when it flew into the pig pen and the pig ate it.
Hope you find out what killed them.
~jrejhkids
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mountainmama on May 20, 2009 at 11:47 am
A fox could be it or possibly a coyote. They travel in packs and could easily kill many chickens. They are also hard to spot.
I hope you find what is doing this. Last year we discovered a rat was killing our chicks. I sympathize because it is frustrating.
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Lorena on May 20, 2009 at 11:57 am
We turn 80 this year and no longer live in the country our son lives on the farm now. We had a sneaky fox one year during the day at night we had a chicken fence around a yard where they could go in and out the chicken house.Each niight we would find the heads of some birds as they likely stuck their heads out. After sitting in the car all night it was the bigest great horned owl I had ever seen.Your place sounds wonderful.
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karen in MS on May 20, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I also think this sounds like a fox. They are very sneaky and hard to catch.
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sassyfras on May 24, 2009 at 5:16 am
I guess the fox also, even though a tom cat will do the same thing. We had a big yellow tom cat that we saw go in an take one of our hens over the fence. Could you tie one of your dogs around the pen area to get his scent around the pen? That might help until you find whats around you.
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janaeel on May 27, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Racoons are most known for there nightime raids be we recently killed one that was after ours at high noon. Our dog treed the rascal and it met it demise. Not a big racoon fan. Have fed too many chicken dinners to them.
Janaeel
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