what would kill 20 chickens and leave the bodies?

[cutechickies]

Well, there was nothing in the trap this morning, but we are assuming it was a mink/weasel/maybe fisher? While we do free-range during the day, and are use to there being losses here and there from hawks, dogs, etc., all of our 'major' losses have been while the chickens were in the coop at night. we have had a bear rip our coop apart, coyotes, etc, but this was our first total wipe out. This was our 3rd year of chickening, and I just feel worn out from it - as much as I love the satisfaction of cracking open a just layed egg and admiring that deep orange color, or how nice it feels to pull a chicken from the freezer that we raised and know what is in the food we eat, I just feel so disheartened. after our first bear attack we put electric fencing up around the coop that we turned on at night and off in the morning. But then we had a coyote (or something) attack when we were late getting in one night, so we then got the automatic door. But, we quickly realized that wouldn't work with the electric fence bc if the coop door opened before we turned the fence off, the chickies would get fried. so we un-did the electric fence and my husband built an entirely new, sturdier coop and attached the solar door to that. it just feels exhausting. My husband asked me what I think we spent since we started with the chickens and honestly, I am scared to try to figure it out (and if I did I think I would be scared to tell him, lol) between feed, building materials, and the many many hours of labor to set it all up (as I am sure everyone here can attest to) - I am thinking we just need to take some time off from this. I can't tell you all how much I appreciate this forum tho and all the help I have received from it! whenever I have a chickening question, I always come here and stalk the threads and usually get my answer!

@islandgirl82 - thank you! my son is fine (he is use to all this), but it did make for an awkward conversation with his father - "kids had a great time - they did witness a slaying in the chicken coop that I hope doesn't traumatize him, but all else was well! Lets do this again, soon! "

I am sure that is the last we see of him ;-)

 

[islandgirl82]

Quote:

@islandgirl82 - thank you! my son is fine (he is use to all this), but it did make for an awkward conversation with his father - "kids had a great time - they did witness a slaying in the chicken coop that I hope doesn't traumatize him, but all else was well! Lets do this again, soon! "

I am sure that is the last we see of him ;-)

Funny but not funny. Poor kid lol. That would be an awkward conversation.

I know how disheartening it can be to lose them. Especially so many at once and when you have children who have helped raise them and care for them. When I first started raising chickens I raised ducks too. Had losses to fox here and there until I dispatched the fox (and a couple of skunks) but had a near wipe out during a blizzard when a window blew out of the barn and another fox got in. All my ducks were gone and I initially only found only one hen until another heard me talking to the first one and came out from her hiding spot in the tack room. I kept just the two girls for another year and made a lot of changes before adding more. I went another 3 years without any losses until the stray dogs showed up a couple of months ago. Of course they got one of those two survivors which was a loss we all took very hard and caused near fatal injuries to another before I caught the dogs. I've since made more changes and am even less inclined to keep them confined to the coop/run and also added a few more flock members.

I hope you do try again before too long.

 

[Weehopper]

X2

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I don't free range. Not sure that I ever will? But I think there's some truth to what you are saying, especially for those with less than ideal enclosure designs. Obviously this wouldn't apply to those with impenetrable coops and runs.

I must agree with Island Woman about all pens, coops, runs, walks, yards, and even layer cages being less than 100% safe from predator loses .

There is an old saying that goes 'suming' like this, "There was never a horse that couldn't be rode, and there was never a cowboy who couldn't be thrown"

Anyone who has never lost a chicken to a predator has never kept very many chickens, or else that person has never had very many predators nosing around.

Expecting to lose a chicken or chickens to predators each and every day is the best way that I know of to keep your chickens safe and even then the predators will come out ahead every once and a while. It's called LIFE.

 

[GroundwaterGuy]

Dogs make a real mess out of killing because they bite, shake and toss their victim in the air. Therefor loose feathers are everywhere. Foxes, coyotes, and weasels don't play so much.

Because some birds are missing and assumed dead, I vote for a fox, coyote, or bobcat.

From reading your post I am unsure of your home area. Please enlighten us, where are you located?

My blue heeler killed a chicken and left absolutely no trace--not a feather. I found him 500 yards away, proudly posing with his trophy that showed no signs of trauma--except it was dead.

 

[Littledinostaurs]

To

hi all - we just walked into our coop to a disturbing scene. (actually my son and his friend that we barely know walked in

) We just walked out this afternoon to feed them, and we have 20 dead chickens in the coop (3 are completely missing) none are left. the chickens look completely intact, for the most part. there is a head missing here and there. what would do this? we have an automatic coop door, so it opens and closes with the sun. there are no broken boards, other than a little blood and the dead bodies, everything looks normal. Honestly I don't even know how something would have gotten in, unless it went in during the day and waited for them?

To me it sounds like a mink issue if you live near any water. I had a mink kill 22 birds and three nights it dug a hole under the pen got in and chewed up the head and left all the bodies and mink don’t eat them they suck the blood and just kill any other birds in the vicinity of where the mink is. *Note mink only kill at night*

 

[McChooky]

My dad had happy chickens that free ranged and roosted in trees so he lost a lot of chickens thru the years. I rarely free range mine due to predators but tried it a while this summer.Soon as a bob cat got after them I locked them all up and haven't let them out since. My chickens have a heavy duty predator proof coop covered with hardware cloth top to bottom with an apron around the bottom plus its very close to my house .Being under a street light in an electric fence helps. Predator prevention lessons the odds predators will kill your chickens but there are no guarantees when it comes to bears.Sorry for your loss!

 

[RadEggs]

All excellent points and advice. However, I will have to disagree on the option to free range being eliminated (unless local ordinances state otherwise). No matter how secure a coop may be, there's no guarantee something couldn't or wouldn't eventually get through. Yes, there are risks to free ranging but there are always risks when keeping pets/livestock when it comes to predator losses. Free ranging gives the birds much greater opportunities for escape (depending on breed and provided their wings are NOT clipped), whereas confining them just makes it convenient for predators to get them all in one place with minimal effort once they're in, IMO/experience.

@cutechickies , I am very sorry about your birds and for your son and his friend to be the ones to find them.

Watch them while free ranging, and have a stick nearby to scare off predators. Even if you live in or near a city, you need to watch them, but without free ranging, they will be sad. I live in a city, and something (didn't see what) scared my girls enough that they were running and making an alarm as loud as they could. I had been inside for a minute making tea, and the minute I came out they calmed down. You should always be close by to hear an alarm call and scare off predators.

 

[goats-n-oats]

Hi all - thank you for taking the time to respond. Sorry for not mentioning my geographic area - we live in Northeast PA. Well - the weasel was a great guess. My husband cleaned up the mess and called the game commission, they suggested maybe a mink, because we have a lot in this area. I know they are closely related to the weasel. The GC said they only need an opening large enough for a large mouse to fit thru to get in. My husband noticed as he was cleaning up that they actually did all have their heads (some were just tucked under the bodies and looked to be missing), and there was a little bit of blood on some of the neck feathers (but otherwise almost no mess). Also - our 3 missing chickens were in there, dead as well ;-( so we are down to 0. He saved one chicken and put it in a live trap, hopefully we will catch it and see what it is. I'm really just curious. I will update this post if we find out.

It sounds like a mink. A lot of my neighbors (near Erie PA) have said they're come home to similar situations. They seem to like to kill for the fun of it.
I know PA (western PA) released fisher cats (similar to martens) to control porcupines, which is a disaster for local poultry.
Is there a creek or pond near your property? They (minks and foxes) like to hang out there. Would be a good place for a trap. IMHO, live traps don't catch the; a foot trap will. A 22LR rifle will also control them.
FYI, minks can get through 1" holes in chicken wire fencing.
However the most effective deterrent for the minks on my property was setting up one of my dogs at the entrance of the coop (which is a garage in a steel barn). He sat there during the day sunbathing all summer. He's indoors now that it's winter, and (knock on wood) there haven't been any more minks coming into the barn.

 

[lagrange chicks]

It sounds like a mink. A lot of my neighbors (near Erie PA) have said they're come home to similar situations. They seem to like to kill for the fun of it.
I know PA (western PA) released fisher cats (similar to martens) to control porcupines, which is a disaster for local poultry.
Is there a creek or pond near your property? They (minks and foxes) like to hang out there. Would be a good place for a trap. IMHO, live traps don't catch the; a foot trap will. A 22LR rifle will also control them.
FYI, minks can get through 1" holes in chicken wire fencing.
However the most effective deterrent for the minks on my property was setting up one of my dogs at the entrance of the coop (which is a garage in a steel barn). He sat there during the day sunbathing all summer. He's indoors now that it's winter, and (knock on wood) there haven't been any more minks coming into the barn.

I have to say a mink cannot get Through a 1" hole, I do fur trapping caught many mink. The females are the smallest and there head is still bigger than a golf ball. A small weasel may get through chicken wire.