Predator attack

[Dokadawaja]

Something killed my 10 week old Salmon Faverolle on her roost upstairs inside the closed coop last night. It had to have gotten in through a hole no larger than chain link. 2 of those holes are access for nipples on the water. 2 holes are where the cables run to lift it with the wheels to move it. In use for over 20 years (only the last 5 years at this location), this coop was never invaded before. No evidence of digging or chewing anywhere.

It did not eat her or even tear her up at all. Several small punctures on her head and face so snake is possible but her head and neck were also soaking wet. No damage anywhere else. No visible blood except a drop at some of those tiny punctures.

The other 9 pullets (different breeds but all the same hatch date) appear subdued but unharmed.

Any ideas what it might be and how to block it out?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Sounds like a mink. They can fit through very small holes and will bite into the neck/head area sucking the chickens blood. The leave no trace other than the punctures from the bites. I call them “the furry vampires”.

 

[Dokadawaja]

Sounds like a mink. They can fit through very small holes and will bite into the neck/head area sucking the chickens blood. The leave no trace other than the punctures from the bites. I call them “the furry vampires”.

Thank you. So cover those holes with hardware cloth. I will have to use a different waterer but that's okay if it stops predators. Also will disable moving the coop but again, saving birds is more important. Set traps? What would be the best location for a trap and the best bait?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Thank you. So cover those holes with hardware cloth. I will have to use a different waterer but that's okay if it stops predators. Also will disable moving the coop but again, saving birds is more important. Set traps? What would be the best location for a trap and the best bait?

A box trap with canned tuna should do the trick. They love anything involving fish, guts or blood.

 

[Dokadawaja]

A box trap with canned tuna should do the trick. They love anything involving fish, guts or blood.

Thank you

 

[McChooky]

When a snakes tries to swallow a chicken thats too big it'll regurgitate it back out (wet head) That may not be the correct terminology but you get the idea. Trap them in a minnow trap with eggs.

 

[Dokadawaja]

When a snakes tries to swallow a chicken thats too big it'll regurgitate it back out (wet head) That may not be the correct terminology but you get the idea. Trap them in a minnow trap with eggs.

Thank you. We do have a 6 ft speckled kingsnake who has lived here for years. It has never bothered chickens or eggs in all that time but
maybe he changed his mind on that. I am guessing security tight enough to keep a weasel out will also keep a snake out?

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, and rats will also kill chickens and eat eggs. No openings larger than1/2" square at the coop!
Sorry about your chick!
Mary

 

[Dokadawaja]

Yes, no openings bigger than 1/4 inch for the chicken house is best but I have had problems only with big predators here and have been lucky about the smaller ones. We do have a high tensile electrified fence around the property perimeter and we haven't had a bear on our property since we turned it on (though I still occasionally see bears in the National Forest on the other side of our perimeter fence) That fence does not deter mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes etc. We do see feral cats, skunks, possums etc. We have a dog fence around the yard. The chicken pen is inside the yard and is chain link including the roof (We have lots of hawks, eagles, owls, vultures etc). The chicken coop is inside the chicken pen and is as tight as we can make it and still have good air circulation when the chickens are all locked inside at night. Actually, we have been very lucky. This is the first time in many years we have ever lost a chicken when they were locked inside the coop. Maybe the small predators just haven't run the gauntlet through all the bigger predators to get to the actual coop before. Regardless, something got through all those layers to get though a very small hole in the house this time and I am sad. My chickens are just loved pets rather than livestock so I over react to every loss. We spent the day today searching for how it got in and trying to block every little hole but it is a never ending battle trying protect all of our pets from the many ways they find to get hurt.

 

[ashcons]

Something killed my 10 week old Salmon Faverolle on her roost upstairs inside the closed coop last night. It had to have gotten in through a hole no larger than chain link. [...]

It did not eat her or even tear her up at all. Several small punctures on her head and face so snake is possible but her head and neck were also soaking wet.

Snake. We lost one the same way to a large rat snake. Tried to swallow it, but got stuck at the shoulders, regurgitated the bird and left. Chicken's head and neck were wet and slimy looking when my son found her the next day.