Pinball Preparedness
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Chickens Killed
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Chickens Killed
Our chickens are in a 10w’x30L’x 6h’ that is partially covered. Last night lost 8 chicks (about 8 weeks old) that were in the pen under cover. We found partial chicks and some feathers completely outside the pen and the rest were gone completely. Our full size chickens (which are in the pen in the uncovered section) were fine other than the big full grown rooster has no tail feathers left. We’ve found/been live trapping possums on the back side of the farm, which is away from the chickens. Do you think the damage/disappearance of the chicks/rooster were caused by possums? TiA for your input!!! 😊
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25 Replies
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We had a coon do that,didn’t eat them just ripped the heads off. Set trap out and got a coon. He went bye bye.
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I had a friend who had weasels do that to his chickens also. But they took the heads away with them to their den and left them all around the entrance hole he said. .
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I also have a chain link fence enclosure for my chickens at night and they lived in it for over a year. (They free range during the day). And then 3 chickens were killed. Just the heads were missing and the bodies were laying right up against the chain link fence like something tried to pull them thru it. It was a raccoon that killed mine. I saw the foot prints near by.
So I had to catch the rest of the chickens every night for about 3or 4 nights and put them all in a small coop to keep them safer. After the couple of nights of having to catch each of them they started going into the coop on their own. But they have been back in just the chain link area since the summer. Praying that they will be safe until I’m able to figure out how to build a coop or some chicken tractors.
I heard that putting motion lights in the area helps to deter predators. I put some solar powered motion lights up.
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I I know Costco has nice solar powered motion detect 2000 lumen lights on sale here in Southern Idaho. Don’t know if they’re still on sale but normally $40 but on sale for $20
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Owls and raccoons will generally just take the heads. A raccoon can easily reach through a chain link fence and grab a chicken laying to close. Most of my loses were to them. I use chicken tractors now which keep the owls from getting them and electric netting around the tractors to keep coins out.
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Weasels could be a big problem in some areas too. Plus they kill for sport. I second the importance of 1/4″ hardware cloth, 2 feet out on the ground around the whole coop/run and 3 feet up.
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@Stpdsteve Wow 2000 lumens should scare anything off. That’s bright. Great price too. Thanks
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Yeah I bought two. Couldn’t pass it up.
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I recommend 1/4 inch hardware cloth. Wrap your entire chicken area in it. I know it’s a bit pricey, but how do y’all sleep at night knowing a critter was eating your chickens? Either do it the right way or get rid of your chickens. Sorry to be so blunt, but it’s crazy that you’d not want your chickens to survive.
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I lived on a farm with a small coop and enclosure. It was chain-link fencing, with chicken wire across the top to protect from aerial predators. The chicken wire came 18-24″ down the side of the chain-link, but just had a few points where it was secured.
Well, we had a number of barn cats, and I caught one in the act of eating one of the baby chicks – just outside the fencing. Obviously he climbed the chain-link, under the chicken wire, dropped down inside and grabbed a chick, then climbed back out to eat his catch outside the pen. We promptly secured the chicken wire snugly all around the fencing! So, just a possibility if you happen to have cats around!
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Barn cats do need to be fed. They kill rodents but don’t usually eat rodents. If you feed them, they will still kill rodents.
And please spay/neuter. They live longer. Many rural rescue groups provide FREE spay/neuter for outside cats.
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All true . . . however, as you say, cats will still catch rodents – AND baby chicks, if the opportunity presents.
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Hello. Oh yes. Opossums are nasty creatures. They tore up my two favorite chickens to pieces , my poor babies didn’t deserve that. Neighbor had some of his attacked also. Opossum are vary sneaky
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We are dealing with some critter, crushing our eggs. Going to set a trap. Us and the critter are going to have a reckoning day.
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I used to do a lot of pheasant hunting with dogs. every year the dogs found several recent kills fully intact and missing the head. The state biologist at the time was a family friend, he claimed it was most likely owls. Its an instincive thing, some of it is to eliminate competition for food, some of it is juveniles practicing skills. (Like a cat learning to hunt). He said most anything else would have at least eaten some choice bit (usually guts, or a hock or breast)
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A friend of mine used to have a large yard with a variety of fowl, including peacocks. She lost two of the peacocks in exactly that fashion – an owl swooped down and decapitated them. She stopped free-ranging for a time, had a large covered run and kept her birds up until the owl moved on . . . we get BIG barn owls around here!
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Sorry to hear your bad luck. We have also lost 2 chickens and 1 duck before we put locks on their coops. I go down at dusk when the birds are in their coop and lock them in, no more loss.
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Yes, Opossums would be considered a predator species, but a lazy one. Hence, prefers to scavenge for resources. Little known fact; so is the American Bald Eagle.
I have captured many Opossums using live traps. I use cat food (can) and they smell it a ways off and come larking at night.
So let them come to the smell of cat food or tuna and not the smell of chicken crap! Meaning, the critter is following it nose. So, place the live traps near the chickens. Hence, replacing the chicken smell with the bait smell.
Fasten hard cloth around the end of the trap where the food/bait would be placed. The hard cloth will prevent the critter from reaching the bait through the bars of the trap.
The Opossum will choose to go into the trap because it is easier than chasing chickens. Of course, a good, clean coop helps.
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Wrap entire run/coop in Hardware cloth & bury all sides 2 ft down. Or keep buying new chicks & let them be killed
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Remember Raccoons hands are similar to ours in that they can open most of the “locks” that ppl put on their coops. Always use a key lock or one where you need two hands to open. Again, don’t own chickens if you lack the willingness to safeguard them from predators. It your fault your chickens are getting killed, not the predators.
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