New Predator

[tigger19687]

He is spoiled like you wouldn't believe and a great protector of the goats and chickens even plays with the chickens sometimes (a weird version of tag where they will take turns chasing each other around). It's his 3rd cat he's killed along with 2 racoons and a handful of possums. It was surprising to us at first because when animals aren't in the back yard he's extremely tolerant and friendly with just about everything but he turns into a furry meat missile the second anything gets in the back yard.

♥♥ I think I need a pic

 

[C Siena]

I hate it when people think it is ok to let their cat roam around.
Glad you figured it out !
Hope that doggy got a steak that day !

Ditto. We are unsure of what to do with strays. We live 7-800' off the road and once were able to take one to local Mennonites. The Humane Society is full and on a waiting list all the times we have called. We saw this cat chasing a chicken three times. Once a bantam broody silkie charged him and he ran. The second and third times (4 months apart) he chased a hen and she ran. I said no more, trapped him and took away. Our dog probably wouldn't chase a cat as we have an indoor cat...but not sure. I do know we will not have a stray on the property.

 

[tigger19687]

Ditto. We are unsure of what to do with strays. We live 7-800' off the road and once were able to take one to local Mennonites. The Humane Society is full and on a waiting list all the times we have called. We saw this cat chasing a chicken three times. Once a bantam broody silkie charged him and he ran. The second and third times (4 months apart) he chased a hen and she ran. I said no more, trapped him and took away. Our dog probably wouldn't chase a cat as we have an indoor cat...but not sure. I do know we will not have a stray on the property.

Someone told me that the Paint guns will hurt (painful not fatal) the cat and they usually don't come back. I've not tried it as I don't have one but wish I had one. Got a neighbor that says they don't "own" this cat but feed it and let it in and out of their house Kinda wonder if it had paint on it they might keep it inside.

 

[marilyn1954]

We have had 4 chickens attacked in the last 6 weeks and 2 killed. Our hens are kept in a coop at night and let out once the sun comes up. Something is going after hens early in the morning between sunup and 7:30 AM. The 2 hens that were killed had their heads removed and the innards were eaten out through the neck area and the gizzard heart liver and lungs are gone but the meat was largely left intact. From what I can tell of the location of the feathers the hen was attacked in the coop and got away there are 2 other spots in the ward where large groups of feathers on the ground before the final place where it was killed. The feathers there have blood on them which is lacking in the other places which is what makes me think it was killed there.

Our rooster tried intervening and for his trouble lost a big tuff of feathers at the base of his left wing and has 2 puncture marks above in in from the lower edge of the wing. He got some licks in it seems, one of his spurs and his beak have fresh blood on them. We cleaned him up and put some betadine on the puncture wounds are going to keep him inside until he gets his strength back. Our roosters are both extremely protective over the flock when it comes to anyone but me and my mom who also takes care of them.

As far as predators in the area We have Hawks (breeding pair of adult red-tailed Hawks and 3 juvenile hawks), owls Foxes, Racoons, Possums, Coyotes, and Cats. Coyotes and Fox would be incapable of getting through the fence and the after-sunrise attacks rules out possums. I'm thinking cat or racoon because whatever it is, is going into the coop after the chickens are let out in the morning. We dealt with cat attacks in the past which ended when our dog and rooster ganged up and killed a cat and mauled another one. Anyone have any experience with something like this?

Useally a hawk will bite their heads off