Otters !

[andersonmlpa]

Ok so we have about a 10-15 ft deep pond that is spring fed full of fish and I think 3 turtles maybe. Three days ago I was missing a chicken 2 days ago one of my chickens had her tail feathers ripped to bleeding , 1 day ago I found a dead silkie on a nest with her sternum and right wing ripped open and missing and tonight I am missing yet another juvenile chicken. I saw 4 others 4 days ago at 7 am hanging out till maybe 10 am in my pond . I have not seen them since but I’m thinking the mass chicken issues might be them. My chicken coop in case I didn’t mention is surrounded on 3 sides by fence and the fourth side is the pond . It’s been pretty low for about a month now so we do have chicken wire that goes into and under water . My problem is getting rid of otters I can’t catch . I literally have not seen them and I checked my flock all day the only window they have is 5:30-8:00 when I’m feeding the other livestock . Any suggestions are welcome . I do lock the girls up at night so between 8 pm and 8 am when the camera is running they are in a sealed coop .

 

[GodLovesU]

I would increase security.If that doesn’t help you could always pay some one to come out and trap the otters.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I would not try to get rid of the otters, they are an important part of the ecosystem and were probsbly there long before you and your chickens. It's also entirely possible they are not your culprit; in that environment you're also likely to have raccoons, minks, foxes, coyotes, rats, skunks and more. Build a fourth fence to keep your chickens safe, but don't use chicken wire. Use hardware cloth. Chicken wire is very flimsy and about the only critter it will stop is a chicken.

the only window they have is 5:30-8:00 when I’m feeding the other livestock

Is this a.m. or p.m.? I assume the chickens are safely locked away in a predator-safe coop at night?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Also, check your local laws.

River otters are also protected from trapping, hunting, and other harvest in 17 states. However, 27 states have trapping seasons, and four states and two provinces have hunting seasons, accoding to Google's Generative AI - so I have no idea, really, how accurate that is. Personally I have no confidence in AI. But do look into it.

 

[andersonmlpa]

I would not try to get rid of the otters, they are an important part of the ecosystem and were probsbly there long before you and your chickens. It's also entirely possible they are not your culprit; in that environment you're also likely to have raccoons, minks, foxes, coyotes, rats, skunks and more. Build a fourth fence to keep your chickens safe, but don't use chicken wire. Use hardware cloth. Chicken wire is very flimsy and about the only critter it will stop is a chicken.


Is this a.m. or p.m.? I assume the chickens are safely locked away in a predator-safe coop at night?

It’s PM the land is family land , these guys haven’t come around here before . We dug the pond 20 years ago . I have never had this problem with their enclosure and haven’t seen anything else around. We did have raccoons 5 years back but they only took heads and mostly only my ducks . Which is the other weird thing with all that fish , and ducks I can’t fathom why I’m loosing chickens seems to me it would pull a duck under first but why bother if you have a good supply of fish. The thing that gets me is I saw that chicken alive by the water at 5:30 and by 7:30 when I went to close up my girls in their coop she was gone I walked the whole area no sign of her the only way in other than the main gate is the pond. And my kids were out here having a pool party maybe 20 feet away . Whatever it is It obviously wasn’t scared. Its just the chicken started right after I saw these guys, I figured it was more than counsidence

 

[andersonmlpa]

Also, check your local laws.

River otters are also protected from trapping, hunting, and other harvest in 17 states. However, 27 states have trapping seasons, and four states and two provinces have hunting seasons, accoding to Google's Generative AI - so I have no idea, really, how accurate that is. Personally I have no confidence in AI. But do look into it.

I did , completely legal to kill here if it threatens your flocks on private property, apparently We have lots of them so they also do have a hunting season when not on private property. We try not to kill anything if we can shew it off first though.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Well you have to do something or you won't have any chickens left. I didn't know otters would kill chickens but apparently they do. I'm really sorry.

 

[SourRoses]

It's unlikely an otter would choose a meal on land when there's tons of food in and on the water. Possible, but not probable.
They're also very important for the environment. If removal is necessary, contact your local branch of fish & wildlife or a rehab, so they can relocate the otters somewhere more suitable.

Just think about Beavers being airdropped from Helicopters!
That odd image is a true historical undertaking.
After the expansion of suburbia and cranky homeowners wanting the Beavers gone, by the 70's the population in many regions was non-existent.
While their dam building activities were seen as pesky, destructive behavior, the Beaver free areas eventually began to experience water retention issues. It was found the regions were unable to hold nearly as much water as they once did, in the aquifers, the forests, and so forth. Much more of the rainfall was being swept away in rivers towards other states / the ocean.
Turns out Beaver dams increase the ground water levels, support healthy forests, and help wildlife flourish.
This realization led to captive breeding efforts sponsored by the government, and eventually they undertook a release program in remote areas that were difficult to access.
The solution for delivery turned out to be air dropping from helicopters! One of the scientists involved invented a wooden-crate based shipping container that was held together by a rope system tied to the parachute. When the crate landed and the shute slackened, the crate panels opened, releasing the Beavers.
The project was largely considered successful in the participating regions. But too many areas did not want to participate, and continue to suffer problems.

While an Otter is not a Beaver, I hope this helps illustrate how essential some native residents can be in the ecosystem.


I also think that whatever tore the wing on your nesting Silkie was a strong predator, raccoons often do that sort of thing. And they don't usually disappear from an area... if someone eliminated the coons you were seeing, it would just be a matter of time before more came back.
Coop / yard cams are helpful for identifying predators. They can also show were the weak spots in fortifications are.
BigBlueHen gave some really good advice about fences and security.