# Lost 8 Chickens Today :(



## PowerPuffMama (Jan 8, 2013)

Let the chickens out to range about 5:00 and was with them until about 5:45. At 6:20 my dogs started barking. When I looked out, one of my Barred Rocks was in the backyard. Very unusual. I go up to the barn and I have several piles of feathers but no blood or bodies. Eleven of them came home over the next hour but it seems eight didn't make it.

I know there are predators and it is a risk but my heart still hurts 








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## kpolenz (Jan 20, 2014)

Sorry for your loss, hope you find out what took them


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So sorry you lost them.


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## PowerPuffMama (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks. I think there must be a family of foxes that snuck in on us. The rest of the poor girls are traumatized. Guess they will be living in the coop and fenced "courtyard" for a while.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

It is definitely a risk but so much nicer to be able to turn them out. Being that it was a daytime raid, I'd go with fox too. And now that they know there is an easy meal at your place....they will be back. Any way you might be able to set traps? I know that isn't always an option. Maybe a live trap?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree and so sorry for the losses. 

I have a hawk who tries to get our baby chicks, it did get a couple. I watch for it now and if it is around, I will keep the chicks locked up for a few days so the hawk goes away, works for a while then the darn bird is back. The bad part is, we cannot shoot the hawk it is illegal. 

Do you have a lot of hawks?


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

toth boer goats said:


> The bad part is, we cannot shoot the hawk it is illegal.


That's where SSS come in...shoot, shovel, shut up. LOL Don't think they tag hawks......do they??????


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

Sometimes hawks _can_ be tagged. Ya never know ...

I have captured a couple of young Cooper's hawks in the past, (or, to be more precise, the doofusses captured _themselves_ by going through a homing pigeon door) I just held them up to my face, yelled at them, and then let them go. The poor things were so traumatized that they fled the area and never came back.

I've never had to kill a hawk (yet) but raccoons are another matter entirely. 
Canines are even worse than raccoons. Foxes, coyotes and/or stray dogs will wipe you out overnight if they can. They won't stop until they have killed ALL of your birds, or at least all of the ones that they can get at.

('Reminds me .... I need to buy some more .22 longs .... )


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

we lost several last summer to hawks..a friend got wiped out from a whol flock of horned owls...law says you can shoot them...we practice the SSS as well...

sorry for your loss!


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## PowerPuffMama (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks everyone. Live trap is an option as is a friend of mine's shotgun where we will follow the theory of SSS. 

We have heard but never seen coyotes and our large dogs seem to keep the coyotes from wanting to visit anywhere close to the property.

I have seen a hawk but cannot imagine it making off with 8 of the chickens in such a short time. Especially since when the chickens see the hawk, they run and hide in the underbrush. 

I have seen foxes not on our property but in the near area so wouldn't be surprised if the fox(es) are what took my girls. 

Will hold off until next spring before getting chicks and hope the rest make it through.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Oh gosh! I am very sorry. We lost about 2/3 of our flock. We are pretty sure it was a fox. We are hoping it was the one that our neighbor shot! Everybody is getting locked up at night now. The five hens I have left have quit laying. We had 10 new ones coming up but when we went on vacation we lost 4 of those and two of the ones left are roosters. I have been buying eggs for the first time in over 10 years!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I hope you find your culprit or culprits soon. 



SSS, LOL :laugh:


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## SeventeenFarms (Dec 10, 2013)

Sounds like a fox - a hawk will take one, owls will take at night, but a fox will take and take all day long. I used to let mine range all day and put them in their coop, which is a fenced area with bird netting over top with a chicken shed inside, at night. Ever since we lost 6 to a fox, I only let them range when we are around. I think they were happier out all day, but they are fine. Its interesting that now that its the hawk migrating season here, many of our chickens gather around one of my horses and eat and scratch wherever he goes - I swear they use him as cover. Dont think I could ever shoot a hawk, but a fox, yeah I could in a second. A hawk will take one and eat it - to me that's nature and survival (even if I dont like it), and part of having chickens- I only lose one or two a year this way. But a fox will kill just to kill, and doesn't stop. I cant let that happen. If you cant sss, maybe try to find/get to know a trapper who can help.


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## PowerPuffMama (Jan 8, 2013)

Hubby saw the fox last night as he was coming down the driveway. Now he is in the planning process...I guess that makes it PSSS 

Thanks for everyone's kind thoughts. This board is so supportive!


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Yep. Those guys will wipe you out! We had a den living in the goat pen! Hubby saw it one day. Kept his eyes out for a few days (and shotgun handy). Fox came running thru the horse corral (can't remember what hubby said was chasing it...take you pick...burros, llamas, a couple of the goats are not dog friendly, Keela....) and ran right INTO his shotgun. Easy shot at least LOL 

We have several dens along the RR track which is only a half mile from our house. Easy travel for a fox. Don't usually have a lot of problems with them until something disturbs their dens (RR was working on track earlier this summer...hence the den in our goat pen). Since the little town we live near is closer than we are the fox live pretty good on cat food, dog foot, cats, other peoples chickens, etc. They do eventually show up at our place tho.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Yeah, that proverbial fox in the henhouse is no joke. We found dead chickens all over the place. We have had no trouble during the day since we fixed the fence but we keep an eye out all the time now. (I know a fox will have no trouble going over if he wants to.) I just hope our neighbor got our culprit too.
I feel the same way about hawks SeventeenFarms. My son actually saw a hawk swoop down and nab a chick. If it had not been one of ours I would have said, "cool." I do keep a sharp eye out when my Chihuahua is out with me though.


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## Goats4Milk (Jan 2, 2015)

We keep our ducks in with our goats. The goats have deterred both foxes and hawks so far. Any natural predator of goats aren't deterred though. I keep a roosting shelf higher up in my shed where the ducks can go to get away from the goats. We also have a tiny dog house that 3 full size ducks can get into but not even my ND/Pygmy goats can get more then their head inside.

The only downside is that I have to put out scratch daily and refill both water containers daily. The ducks will swim in the goat's water as well as theirs. The goats stay away from the ducks and the ducks leave the goats alone.


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## gracethegoatgirl (Dec 27, 2014)

You have to be careful with poultry though because you don't want the goats eating their manure, or vice versa and the animals get parasites from each other. The hay and feed need to stay fresh and their containers clean. 


Goat chick


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