Been loosing chickens to preditors

[brady]

Liz
I would inclined to think it's a weasel.
Weasels,fox and hawks have been the main suspects here in Ct.
Last year I had a weasel break into my coup at night a slaughtered 9 hens.
Just left them there, never took any for a meal, just killed and maimed so my thought ,weasels.
Jay Walsh




















and hawks have driven me crazy. But, weasels they are bad. One night last year one got into the coup,I have never figured out how,

[LizStreithorst]

How terrible! I've never heard anything about weasels here in Mississippi but I'll ask around to the folks who have lived here right in my own little community for generations.

[LizStreithorst]

You know what it was? It was a d@mn fox. It kept snagging them every day or every other day until the only hen left was Isabel's friend, Olivia. She came running in the house when she saw her best friend Isabel taken. I let her stay inside for 3 weeks, picking up Chicken $hit the entire time. She also decided to mold around that time. Lucky me. During the time Olivia was inside I saw that fox crossing the front yard like it owned the place 3 times.

After 3 weeks I couldn't handle constantly picking up $hit and feathers and I threw her outside. The fox must have moved on to greener pastures because Olivia is still alive and doing well. She goes outside in the morning and comes back in to sleep. The molt is about over so I should be getting an egg a day soon.

This whole experience was very painful for me to go through. I live too far down in the woods to have free range chickens and since I can no longer do the physical labor involved in making a secure run I guess that having chickens is a thing of the past for me. It's a shame but it is what it is...

[RogueDiscus]

My son and his wife (mostly his wife) have lots of animals, and guinea hens are what they raise and let run wild eating bugs including ticks. They actually bond and follow them around, but they roost up in the trees to keep themselves safe. They do also have chickens, ducks, geese, and a turkey, and three emu, (and dogs, cat, goats, rabbit) which all have pens or kennels for the evening.