Something Got Our Chickens

[ObedienceGoldens]

Something got some of our chickens Friday night
I found some dead in the field, and some that were half buried
in differnt places around the barn.
Two of our roosters were half buried but still alive.
One didn't make it [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

What could have gotten to them?
We are just heartbroken...
My DH double forced the fencing that was up. The fence around the barn & coop is 4' high
We put some of the chickens in the barn tonight & the rest in the chicken coop

Karen

[JoeR]

Sounds like a domestic dog.

Weasels and mink usually decapitate them, a fox will just kill them and leave half eaten carcasses. Coyotes kill them and carry them away sometimes leaving a carcass or two around. Canines are the only ones I could see burying their pray... Were there dig marks? A dog usually circles the hole it digs, so there should be some paw prints around the hole. Don't forget that the fox is also part of the canine family, but they like to kill and get away quick. A domestic dog is usually comfortable enough to stick around and dig holes while not worrying about humans.

Good luck,

Joe

[ObedienceGoldens]

Thanks Joe
What is really strange is that it only killled our Buff's
Did not touch the RR's or the Java's or even the ducks.

Didn't see any pawprints, ground is too dry.. but there are signs
of dig marks.

Nothing happened last night.. going to put some lyme down around the area to see if we can get some pawprints.

Also will be watching again tonight...

Thanks again will let you know what we find.
Karen

[egon]

Also think Dog! :

Egon

[ObedienceGoldens]

I think you are both right.
Tonight there will be 4 of us out in the fields waiting.
Nothing has happened since Friday night. Our Llama is now
staying in the closed fenced in area instead of running in the fields. With the 4 of us tonight we should see something.
It was hard with just my DH since there is 30 acres.
Will let you know what we find.
Thanks,
Karen

[JoeR]

If it were a coyote, it would have returned already. Once a domestic dog gets a taste for blood, they will be back too. I am guessing it was probably one of your neighbors animals that was let out one night. It will return once your neighbor lets the dog out again or loses track of the dog.

Hunting a predatory canine can be very difficult. They have good night vision and an excellent sense of smell. If you have an idea of what direction the animal came from, place yourself so that your scent is not being blown toward them. Their night vision is about 100' in almost total darkness. Having 4 people out there might be too many unless you have a plan and a way to communicate quietly. Canine's have real good hearing too. Rigth now you are probably asking yourself why I know this stuff. I personally had a coyote almost wipe out my flock over a period of 4 days. My coop was destroyed by Hurricane Jeanne, and the chickens were roosting in the barn. The coyote was coming around right at dawn to pick them off as they were leaving the roost. I spent numerous nights trying to figure out how to stop him. I also lost 15 chickens to a neighbor's dog over a period of two days.

I also hope you have a plan of what to do once you figure out what is causing the problem. If it is a domestic dog, and you shoot it, then you may have problems with the owner after that. (I speak from experience. My wife shot the neighbors dog, and then stormed over to their house. [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] ) Our new motto is the 3 S's (Shoot, shovel, shutup). If the dog is unkown to you, I would not try to catch it since you do not know its demeanor. If you scare it away, it will come back unless you can track down the owner. Of course, most dog owners will always deny their dog did anything wrong. (Once again experience on this.) I do not blame the animal, but there are some people who are irresponsible pet owners. Be prepared!

Joe

[Airedale]

I see that you yourself raise dogs, I know this is something you do not want to hear but believe me it could have been your own dogs. I hope for your sake it was not but they could be involved unless you are absolutely sure where they are at all times. Over the years I have had several of my own dogs kill chickens and they were smart enough not to do it in front of me.

[ObedienceGoldens]

Wasn't our dogs. I am a partner of the farm & live a 1/4 mile away.
The owners & partners who lives on the farm have dogs but was away for 2 weeks.
Karen

[ObedienceGoldens]

Joe,
Sorry to hear about your loss.
We will be doing the SSS [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Someone about 5 miles away lost a dog on 9/16 so we are now
thinking it is their dog.
Thanks,
Karen