What is killing my birds?

[natasha_lynn_23]

So within the last week 12 of my chickens have been attacked, my whole flocked has been killed. All ducks who don’t go in at night and can’t fly are perfectly fine. At first we assumed it was a coyote as they’ve been active in our area. We found a spot where whatever it was has climbed under and dragged feathers through a trail outside the fence, so I do believe this is how most were killed. However, I locked all remaining birds up in their secure coop and came out the next day with one more dead and feathers like it was attacked. The next day, my last remaining chicken was killed and it’s obvious something has been eating it. There’s no holes that were dug, all doors were shut and the spaces in between the bars are no more than an inch big. There’s no way anything larger than a rat could have gotten in, and I don’t have a ramp so it has to be something that could jump inside the coop area (that’s were the bodies were). That leaves me to wonder if my rooster suddenly turned on them, or if my ducks could have done that? Whatever it is has obviously been eating the bodies. There’s rooster and ducks are unscathed. See attached type of coop.

 

[GodLovesU]

Could it have been an aerial predator?Hawk,owl,etc?

 

[natasha_lynn_23]

Could it have been an aerial predator?Hawk,owl,etc?

Possibly for the ones that were attacked outside the coop. But not the ones that were inside the coop, the roof is covered.

 

[GodLovesU]

Can you post a picture of the bodies?

 

[AGeese]

Pictures of the bodies and trail would be helpful. I would be laying hardware cloth down around the perimeter. Canibalism could be an issue with that many birds in such a small coop as well. Sounds like more than one issue potientially.

This is what I do. The grass will grow over it in time. Tac it down with galvanized lawn or camping staples

Edit: just noticed the pen you're using won't stop a weasel or snake from getting through.

 

[SamLockwood]

Rats can and do kill chickens, and anywhere a rat can go so can any member of the weasel family.

If that photo is the type of setup you have it really isn't up to keeping much of anything away from your birds.

The wood in those pre-fab coops tends to be pretty flimsy or inadequately fastened. Raccoons are freakisly strong and can pretty easily pry thin doors or panels open, especially if there's more than one.

If that's what your run is like a variety of preadators can pretty easily grab a bird through the wire and kill it: hawks, raccoons, foxes. It wouldn't take much for anything to be able to dig under that type of run either.

Your killer could be virtually anything smaller than an adult coyote, and your flock may have fallen victim to multiple predators.

I'm not sure from OP how your ducks managed to survive, but they're probably next on the menu.

When or if you re-stock your flock, invest in one or more trail cameras so you can see what's actually around your property and either make your steup more secure or build something better from scratch.

You shoudln't have any gaps to the outside bigger than 1/2", and the run needs digging prevention either in the form of buried hardware cloth as shown above, or by resting the run on 12 or 14" concrete "pavers". If you can get your fingertips inside a door and pry it even 1" open it isn't rigid enough to keep preadators out.

Look at the threads on coop and run ideas to find a solution that works for you and fits your budget.

 

[ksbkeys]

So within the last week 12 of my chickens have been attacked, my whole flocked has been killed. All ducks who don’t go in at night and can’t fly are perfectly fine. At first we assumed it was a coyote as they’ve been active in our area. We found a spot where whatever it was has climbed under and dragged feathers through a trail outside the fence, so I do believe this is how most were killed. However, I locked all remaining birds up in their secure coop and came out the next day with one more dead and feathers like it was attacked. The next day, my last remaining chicken was killed and it’s obvious something has been eating it. There’s no holes that were dug, all doors were shut and the spaces in between the bars are no more than an inch big. There’s no way anything larger than a rat could have gotten in, and I don’t have a ramp so it has to be something that could jump inside the coop area (that’s were the bodies were). That leaves me to wonder if my rooster suddenly turned on them, or if my ducks could have done that? Whatever it is has obviously been eating the bodies. There’s rooster and ducks are unscathed. See attached type of coop. View attachment 4007052

My guess would be a weasel. You could also put up a trail camera...you will be amazed at what might show up on the camera.

 

[sourland]

You may very well be dealing with a mink or weasel. If so, the ducks and the rooster will eventually be attacked. It is not your rooster or ducks turning cannibalistic.

 

[AGeese]

You may very well be dealing with a mink or weasel. If so, the ducks and the rooster will eventually be attacked. It is not your rooster or ducks turning cannibalistic.

I still say it looks awefully small for 12 birds.

I agree with Sam, and my guess is the prefab coop is made with particle board and veneer which would be easy to chew through.

Best thing to do quickly is just get rolls of 1/2 hardware cloth and cover the whole pen top to bottom, then around the permiter.

Now if you really wanted to upgrade you could use the pen structure itself to panel over and make a larger stronger secure coop with plywood and/or steel.

 

[natasha_lynn_23]

Can you post a picture of the bodies?

No the two that were in the coop, we had already taken care of. Whatever it is doesn’t leave any bodies, just tiny pieces of meat. The bones are even gone.