predator attack

We had skunks that we think live under our shed because we see them walking around in the front lawn every other night. We also have 2 ducks that are about 4/5 months old a male pekin and a female roen duck. The skunks haven't been a problem so far but this morning I walk out into my front yard...

hello, I’ve just recently got 6 muscovies. They’re now about 9 weeks old and very big. Very sadly 2 have been eaten by a local otter. We live by a river which they love but I worry we let them roam free too early before they could fly. How can we train them to get into their pen at night? They...

Over the last week and a half I have lost 6 of my 23 chickens. They have been free ranging for over a year and I have not had a predator problem until now. I've always locked them up at night but they seem to be getting picked off any way. Either before I lock the coop up or after I let them out...

As part of my flock, I had 2 male Pekin ducks. They were kept in a separate fenced in area (within the main fence) as they would try and mate with my chickens a lot. My chickens and geese are in coops at night, and we were working on getting a coop for the ducks as well. I've not had any real...

Last week I had 16 chickens. Today I have 9. Almost every night something has eaten 1-3 chickens. And we beef up security every time. We haven't had chickens for about two years. Our last flock of chickens were being eaten out of our coop. but with getting cold and egg production down, we...

Sadly, we had a fox move in close to us. Last night she got into the coop while the chickens were sleeping and killed my favorite hen. Thankfully the rooster was able to chase her off. While reviewing the security video we saw that the fox had clear tits, she must have some babies around and...

So far i have had two ducks taken by a fox in my neighborhood. The first was one of my two young muscovies back in November or December, and just yesterday one of my welshies (one of the 2 first ducks i ever got) was taken and she would have been 2 years old on September 5th. I think of my ducks...

we had a flock of 10 hens and one rooster, well the night before last one hen passed away and my boyfriend found her early yesterday morning and decided to let the rest out into the fenced in area around the coop earlier than usual.. when i went to check on them a few hours later four were in...

I have 3 quails and today there was 2 butcher birds chasing them up and down their run. Only one went up into its coop but I was lucky enough to scare the birds away before any damage was done. I put an extra barrier of wire sloping out to the birds can’t get to them but I’m still worried about...

I bought four unsexed ducks last year from TSC. Not knowing breeds, we picked two ducklings I assumed were Pekin and two that I thought may be khaki Campbell or Rouen. I ended up with two female Buff and two male Rouen ducks. The sweetest ducks ever. This winter I turned their baby pool upside...

My chicken was attacked by a predator of some kind. Her head is bloody (comb and wattle look fine). I brought her into the house in a safe, quiet place. Am trying to give her drops of water and keep her warm. Vets in this area have not been helpful in the past so I am trying to care for her...

For a little context, I live in west central Indiana near Terre Haute, IN. My neighbors recently got ducks within the last year (all four of which ended up being male lol). Three of the four ducks have now completely disappeared with no trace. We obviously know they have been taken by something...

So I am still a newbie chicken mom! but unfortunately I have a few questions about caring for a now lonely bantam hen (6 months old). Pruitt (lonely hen) is now alone in the coop after losing her two friends within a month long period to raccoons :( My most recent loss (Piper) was best friends...

Just went out to feed the chickens and saw something black laying out in their yard. With the high winds we have had, st first, thought it was a piece of the black plastic from the coop to keep the wind off them. It was one of my Australorps. Think it was a raccoon. Her neck and head were...

A couple weeks ago a predator killed our young rooster and 7 hens. Today I was cooking a couple eggs ... from our poor departed hens ... and noticed what looked like a "bullseye" on one of them. I've never hatched chicks before, but I suddenly wondered if it would be possible to hatch fertile...

Hi, I'm just trying to find some answers as I'm worried about our other 2 girls. Sorry for anyone who has experienced loss(es) to predators, it's truly heartbreaking. We thought our flock was pretty safe, walled garden in an urban area surrounded by trees and neighbours with dogs, so they...

I had 5 chickens with 2 roosters. We had a steady egg production every day and not only that, It was my first batch of chickens and I treated them as family and I still cannot accept their loss! Today morning when I went to the coop to give them food, all were lying down DEAD! :'( When I...

I came home from work to find one of my four chickens missing, one headless in the pen, another cowering in the food barn under the feed tray and the last one headless and 1/4 eaten in the yard. My pen is roughly 10x10 with a 3-3.5 foot high metal fence around it. I live in the Chicago suburbs...

Last Sunday, my Silkie never got into the coop. I couldn't find her in the bushes, the barn, anywhere. The next day, my Rosecomb rooster (also champion-bred) was mauled by something. His head had been eaten. The disturbing thing is that this last incident happened IN THE MORNING, after I had...

Hi everyone, I have a small backyard flock of seven. Early this morning (still dark) I heard my chickens screeching and ran outside. Something ran from my yard, but my eyes hadn't adjusted enough to see what it was. Two of my hens had blood dripping from their combs, but nothing else hurt that I...