The Chicken Massacre

[DWyatt]

I've posted a few times about our chickens, my fiance's daughters love for our chickens, and building the coop for our chickens. Well I came home from work Friday to find what I can only describe as a massacre. We free range our chickens about once a week just to let them enjoy the woods and all the bugs & snakes they find to eat. When I got home, one of the hens was dead in the driveway, the rooster was dead beside the house with its head ripped off, another hen behind the house that I had to shoot to finish off, and another about 200 yards away down by the creek. Two of the hens made it out alive, I'm assuming only because they're good at hiding, and I never found the body of another. The girls are all tore up about it.I'm blown away that a mink came up to the house from the river at 3:00 in the afternoon and killed all of them when they were free ranging.

I got a text from my neighbor at 3 that the rooster was going crazy, but I just assumed it was because a hen was laying an egg, that's what he does when the hens lay an egg. Turns out I should have told him to run down to the house, could've probably saved a couple. Given where we live and the proximity to the river, I'm surprised it took this long to happen. 


We already had another batch of 7 that are 3 months old and we went Saturday and picked up another 8 so it will work out but I'm sure gonna miss the 6 eggs a day we were getting.



 

[Don P]

Sorry for the trouble, I can surely relate. One thing I've learned is, everybody loves chicken. Mink or whatever it was now knows where dinner is. Either he has to go or you have to protect them very well from him. He will return. A mink is going to be very hard to protect against, I imagine you are going to have to find him if you want to keep birds.

[DWyatt]

I agree Don. I have a live trap set with the remains of one of the chickens, trying to catch it. Our coop is extremely secure. I dug a foot down around the whole perimeter to bury the fence and we have had zero issues. We just can't let the chickens out again until I catch the mink.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Sorry for your loss. It is amazing an animal about the size of a grey squirrel can do that much damage. I could understand and maybe accept it killing one to eat but just being bloodthirsty doesn't cut it. 

   A couple years ago I saw the biggest mink I have have ever seen - looked to be about 6 lbs. He had pulled a 3 lb channel catfish up on the bank and just started to eat it. It was still alive so I barely got there in time. 

   Good luck trapping it. If the dead bait does not work you might put a live chicken in a cage with traps around it. An old neighbor caught a bobcat that had been killing his young goats using that technique.

[Sedgehammer]

Guardian dog. We've had a huge male GP for 9 years now. Just got a nearly as big 3 yr old female this spring. She's an escape artist. Ain't no more though. Electric fence curd that. They watch chickens, cows, calves, piglets and 2 kids. Hopin for a litter before the big guy passes. 

[low_48]

Seen any stray dogs? My Dad had a real hatred for stray dogs, especially in a pack, coming on our farm. They had a meeting with a 12 gauge if the pack hung around. I don't remember loosing chickens or pigs to them, but there sure was a reason for his reaction.

[Walnut Beast]

I agree Don. I have a live trap set with the remains of one of the chickens, trying to catch it. Our coop is extremely secure. I dug a foot down around the whole perimeter to bury the fence and we have had zero issues. We just can't let the chickens out again until I catch the mink.

If you catch it or anything else you can release them at some other location several miles away

[Southside]

Don't rule out coyotes or foxes.  I have killed a few of both around our hens during the day, honestly would not have believed it had I not shot them myself.  Had a bob cat this spring that moved in.  I think I found her den and managed to convince her to move before it became a permanent fix.  Sorry about the loss.  

[Gary_C]

If you catch it or anything else you can release them at some other location several miles away

It's only permissible to foist your problems on your neighbors if you add some lead to their body to slow them down.

[Walnut Beast]

I didn't say on someone's private property!

[A-z farmer]

Sorry about your chicken loss .
Having chickens is like an invitation for an all they can eat buffet .Around here the foxes ,coyotes,weasels,raccoons ,and hawks will hunt for opportunity even during the day .It seems to be the worst when they have young to feed but we are always trapping year round.Good luck with your next  batch .

[moodnacreek]

Around here you could never leave birds out with no fence. And with a fence there are constant losses. Sorry it happened.

[Skip]

Used to keep my chickens behind an electric poultry fence made by Premiere 1,  never lost any when others were losing theirs to coons and such. 

[Raider Bill]

We used to keep city chickens but after a couple massacres I gave up. Our foes were possums and coons.
It was a constant battle catching and disposing of the invaders.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Have about 70 laying hens free ranging around. We've lost a few to hawks, foxes, raccoons, etc over the years.

But the worst was a dog from a mile away that used to be walked past our place daily. Well one day it broke loose from home and came here and just started killing. By the time the wife caught it something like 15 chickens were dead. Needless to say the dog wont be a problem again, and the owner and I who weren't on speaking terms before now dont make eye contact. Lol

[Sedgehammer]

We haven't lost any that have been behind thre fence with the GP. Did loose 3 last fall to the  neighbors 2 little black and trans. These were up by the house in the 'chick ' mobile coop. They were just getting big enough to put out to free range. Came back from our little towns fall festival and caught them in the act. One died of lead poisoning and the other just got sick from lead poisoning. Neighbor wasn't happy, but he didn't blame me either. 

[moodnacreek]

Rather than kill some neighbors dog , get him to run out about 60 yards and shoot him in the but with bird shot.

[Sedgehammer]

They typically come back even so. Best thing unfortunately is to remove the threat. I'll move rat killing snakes (non poisonous) that eat eggs, but other then that it gets a severe case of lead poisoning.

[Autocar]

My vote is  neighbors dog

[Lko67]

Too many predators around here. I got my chickens in fort Knox lol.  2 coops with yard between. Got 2x4 wire fence 6 ft high then 1/4 inch hardware cloth 2 ft up and 2 ft out under ground then 4 strands of electric fence around that. Last August forgot to plug fence in and lost 14 out of 60 coon got them. Bit the heads off all them ate nothing else. Got him next night trapped him.

[thecfarm]

Trouble is, when trouble starts, it don't stop.
I would catch a critter be all set for a month, than trouble again. Catch that problem another would start, Did not stop until I had nothing left.

[DWyatt]

Well it definitely wasn't a stray dog or a neighbor's dog, my money is definitely on a mink. They are a real problem around here. I live 200 feet from a small creek and 300 yards from a major river. We've had our fair share of coons, and I have exterminated a lot of them. This was textbook mink killing especially with my proximity to the river. 

The problem with trapping it is that we have 3 outside cats that are far too curious and would end up in whatever trap I set. And no I don't think it was the cats that killed them, the chickens definitely put them in their place a long time ago :D for now the chickens will remain in their coop because it is without a doubt safe for them. The two remaining hens are getting lots of treats because they have to keep up with how fast we eat eggs :D

[DWyatt]

Also, thanks everyone for the condolences, while I definitely understand the circle of life, the girls are pretty heartbroken. Even though it could have happened on any day that we let the chickens out to free range, that day they let them out and so they feel like it's their fault. At 7 & 9 years old, you cannot explain to them enough that it is not their fault and that while it sucks, it is all a part of having outside farm animals.

[whatwas]

a few years ago when my wife and I got home from town we saw feathers blowing around, after looking around I kept finding more dead chickens, some of them were pounded flatter than water on a plate. Than we saw bear tracks in the dirt, after about a hour or so three very nervous hens came back .So I camped out on the front porch with my favorite "so you killed my wife's chickens did ya" stick. After about two hours he walked within six feet of me looking for the last three girls.........the last thing he heard was "click"
I called everyone I knew that might want him but it was mid summer and nobody was interested, last I saw of him he was doing a peter pan off a big rock buff up the road.
no problems since.....touch wood

[Chuck White]

Don't rule out a WEASEL!

They can really be nasty in a chicken coop, and they'll kill for nothing!

[Don P]

That's what finally made us throw in the towel.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I am sure we have weasels here and they even listed a Fla weasel but in all my time in the woods I have never seen one. I have seen lots of mink and several times otters on the lake and various rivers, both of which are in the weasel family I understand. It amazes me how many people around here, even ones who spend a lot of time in the woods, have never seen a either. Several years ago I stopped and turned around and my wife asked what i was doing and I told her I was going back to get a road kill mink. She swore it was a squirrel till I got it. The fur was not damaged and my buyer paid a good price for it since it was a male and did not have nursing marks. My wife did not like the smell which was pretty strong. 

[nativewolf]

I've seen 1 weasel dead and one alive.  The live weasel was seen at night bounding across a small country road and then through a freshly cut field.  The dead one was along our family driveway.  

They are very shy and really are most active at night.  They do terrors on a chicken coop.