A dog got 5 of my 6 hens yesterday. Just when we were getting 4 or 5 eggs a day too. Back to square one with the chickens. Going to pick up a few pullets here soon. No more free ranging until I figure out which neighbors dog it was.
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Lost 5 hens
- Thread starter coastie
- Start date
CrackPot
NES Member
I have free ranging chickens but they are locked up after dusk. I have a game camera pointed at the door to the coop. If a predator be it raccoon or neighbors dog chases them you will see it. The chickens will run back to the coop when threatened even during the day.
Buy them mail order 25 to a flat. That way if you lose a couple...
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Buy them mail order 25 to a flat. That way if you lose a couple...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Except for the fact that I dont know which dog did it and all my immediate neighbors are good solid people so I would rather work it out amongst us.
It was during the day yesterday so the hens were all out and about.
It was during the day yesterday so the hens were all out and about.
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D
Deleted member 12999
My dog took out one of my neighbors chickens. We worked it out just fine. I hope you get it worked out.
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Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
Yep, shit happens. Hopefully when you figure it out the neighbor will take care of it. Sure it wasn't a yote or fox?
Most wild animals will take one and run. When I have had a fox or other animal take one all I ever found was a few feathers. These were just killed and left in the yard. The only thing I have ever seen do that is a domestic dog.
Ahh, yep that's a dog.
I had three chickens, but I lost one to a mink on Memorial Day. The coop is closed up, but the run is not 100% tight and a mink was able to get in since the chicken had pushed the hatch open from the inside of the coop (swings one way). Yesterday I started to fully enclose the run in wire cloth so hopefully I won't lose the last two ones. This chicken was also attacked by a hawk this winter (when they were outside in my garden) and I spent several weeks nursing it back to health (it was in shock for weeks) feeding it water and baby bird food mixed in water up to its beak.
The latest version of the survival podcast is about a guy in CA that grazes sheep and goats. His primary protection for them is electric netting and fence charger. Out there they have bad ass coyotes and the fence with a guard dog inside does the trick. He uses a 12KV charger and makes sure its putting out at least 5.5KV installed to be sure it will protect against coyote attack.
Don't give up, I have lost 2 flocks of chickens (coons) and learned something each time.
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/e...azing-goats-electric-fencing-and-working-dogs
Don't give up, I have lost 2 flocks of chickens (coons) and learned something each time.
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/e...azing-goats-electric-fencing-and-working-dogs
Oh man, that sucks! Sorry to hear it. I always get annoyed when animals die senselessly. May be a tractor would work in your situation. You have relatively small flock, so a large tractor frequently moved will be nearly as good as free-range, but should minimize damage from small animal attacks.
As for the cops. I think Almostelmo was joking. He should have wrote, "Call SWAT, that'll take care of your dog problem".![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
But I am guessing you are not in a mood for jokes at the moment. I probably wouldn’t be either.
As for the cops. I think Almostelmo was joking. He should have wrote, "Call SWAT, that'll take care of your dog problem".
But I am guessing you are not in a mood for jokes at the moment. I probably wouldn’t be either.
I've had this happen also...I have a farm and always looking for predators out there. I have chickens and would like to get some more...If anyone is planning on buying some maybe we can split the delivery charges or something. I usually buy from Ideal or Murrays...Any takers, please pm me.
We lost 10/12 of the first flock to hawks and mareks disease, still have 9 left from the second flock after a few dissappeared probably from hawks again. We havnt seen any sign of coyote or fox around the yard but have at my parents horse barn a mile away or so, though we know a fisher came through last summer. We close them up after they put themselves away at dusk, weve had pretty good luck and get more eggs than we can eat. Bought ours up at Dodge grain in salem, nh, I think you have to buy a dozen.
Just finished a small run/pen for our flock of 5 pullets and one cockrel. We don't let them free range unless they are supervised. We do have a dog, though she's more of a predator than a protector (Siberian husky) but she is tied on a 100ft run and doesn't have access to the chicken area. My theory is that her presence would be enough to keep other animals away when we are not home (she wants to play with everything). We'll have to see. The pen is pretty secure though there is no roof on it yet (4 ft high).
A guy here at work lost a bird last week to a fox in the daytime (around 5pm)!
A guy here at work lost a bird last week to a fox in the daytime (around 5pm)!
When we had chickens our run from the coop is covered,we fenced areas for them and moved it around, but it was double fenced. Would slow down most anything. We did lose quite a few to a fox. I have had neighbors dogs harass them and there owners get 3 warnings, after that, well................you can figure out what I would do. We have not had to do that though.
55_grain
NES Member
Sorry about your hen loss.
I've had a fox kill off 3 full-sized hens; left great big messes of feathers everywhere. Since I chased it thru the field with a stick, I'm confident of my species ID.
So..don't rule out a fox too quickly.
I've had a fox kill off 3 full-sized hens; left great big messes of feathers everywhere. Since I chased it thru the field with a stick, I'm confident of my species ID.
So..don't rule out a fox too quickly.
JuergenG
NES Member
boomstick?
S-Mart's top of the line...
Mainer
NES Member
We were up north for the long weekend and someone else was letting the free rangers out in the AM and then back into the coup in the PM.
Monday, she let them out. We returned home mid-day, but about an hour too late. 9 hens were killed, the majority MIA except for discreet feather piles scattered here and there ... probably where they were dropped. A neighbor called the PD prior to our return home because two of the remains were practically in the roadway (they never used to go near the road). The PD arrived before we got home, threw the bodies across the road into the bushes (and the poison ivy) and left us a note.
The last time this happened it was a fox with pups and I would swear I heard a yulp or two from the woods, later that same day.
Not wanting to wade into the poison ivy, we left them where they were and figured whoever offed them would be back. Sure enough, the next night they were both gone.
Meanwhile, the incubator is cooking new some replacements! Sorry 'bout your loss.
-ed
Monday, she let them out. We returned home mid-day, but about an hour too late. 9 hens were killed, the majority MIA except for discreet feather piles scattered here and there ... probably where they were dropped. A neighbor called the PD prior to our return home because two of the remains were practically in the roadway (they never used to go near the road). The PD arrived before we got home, threw the bodies across the road into the bushes (and the poison ivy) and left us a note.
The last time this happened it was a fox with pups and I would swear I heard a yulp or two from the woods, later that same day.
Not wanting to wade into the poison ivy, we left them where they were and figured whoever offed them would be back. Sure enough, the next night they were both gone.
Meanwhile, the incubator is cooking new some replacements! Sorry 'bout your loss.
-ed
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Mainer
NES Member
55_grain
NES Member
At the time, I didn't own so much as a 91/30...must have been before I started shopping a S-mart...Shop smart; shop S-mart!
I wonder if they have chickens?
I've been lucky in 2 years the only birds I've lost have been to the elements and one to a bad case of bumble foot. *knock on wood* in the future though I don't think I'd ever get more chickens, don't really care for them. Once these ones mostly die off they will be replaced with more ducks. Ducks have more personality, they aren't as mean to each other and they lay better.
We started keeping hens this year. They are still fairly young, being hatched at the beginning of June. I built an entirely enclosed 8'x10' run for them but I like to let them free range the yard as much as possible.
A few weeks ago they were out and I was doing some work in the yard. I heard a hawk screech but I could not locate him. I figured I better check on the chooks and as soon as I walked over to them it was like someone had blocked out the sun and I hear the wings flapping right over my head. A redtail swooped right at at me. I am sure it was not as close as it seemed at the time, but it scared the pants off me. He settled in a tree nearby, watching, just waiting for me to leave. I put the birds in their run and the hawk gave me a dirty look a flew off.
Yesterday I see a huge redtail hawk in a nearby tree. Pretty sure he is stalking my hens. I couldn't find them in any of their usual spots. Finally I located them in their henhouse. Maybe they saw him too and headed for safety. We do have alot of tree/shrub cover for them but I am keeping them locked up for now. My son has named them all so it would be problematic to lose any.
I've been trying to teach my dog to not eat them, which has been hilarious. He at least has stopped drooling around them and his teeth don't chatter like he is mashing up an imaginary bird so much any more. I don't dare leave him unsupervised for long though. Pretty sure he would have at them in a lapse of minding his owner.
Any suggestions on the hawk?
A few weeks ago they were out and I was doing some work in the yard. I heard a hawk screech but I could not locate him. I figured I better check on the chooks and as soon as I walked over to them it was like someone had blocked out the sun and I hear the wings flapping right over my head. A redtail swooped right at at me. I am sure it was not as close as it seemed at the time, but it scared the pants off me. He settled in a tree nearby, watching, just waiting for me to leave. I put the birds in their run and the hawk gave me a dirty look a flew off.
Yesterday I see a huge redtail hawk in a nearby tree. Pretty sure he is stalking my hens. I couldn't find them in any of their usual spots. Finally I located them in their henhouse. Maybe they saw him too and headed for safety. We do have alot of tree/shrub cover for them but I am keeping them locked up for now. My son has named them all so it would be problematic to lose any.
I've been trying to teach my dog to not eat them, which has been hilarious. He at least has stopped drooling around them and his teeth don't chatter like he is mashing up an imaginary bird so much any more. I don't dare leave him unsupervised for long though. Pretty sure he would have at them in a lapse of minding his owner.
Any suggestions on the hawk?
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Remember dig the hole deep and don't forget the quicklime.
