A woman I met on another forum had her flock killed, this is the email she sent, I was thinking fox or raccoon????? She has a non-kill trap set and is setting leg traps now. What size is right for the predator? What kind of bait?
Whatever it was bit the heads of all of my chickens, babies included and left them. Some of them it just bit them in the head, base of skull with razor sharp fangs and left them. Some had no head injuries but had their guts eaten out and piles of intestines were left everywhere. I thought at first it dragged them off as there was NO sign of carcasses, but since moving lawnmowers and other equipment out of the barn, well there are most of my birds carcasses. Our big Royal Palm Turkey disappeared for 1/2 a day last week, came really lethargic and finally put his head in the corner for 3 days and died. Little trickle of blood from his beak but other than that he appeared normal. I don't know what would do this but it has to fit into a really small area in order to get in. The 2 times it's happend, it's been at night when the barn is closed up. I'm exasperated by this whole mess. We're keeping the dog out at night and for the last 2 nights he's been barking in the middle of the night, when we turn the light on, he stops. All barn animals are fine, so this must be working till we trap him. I have all the chicks inside (again) what a mess! But, they're safe.
What is killing these chickens?
How horrible, Lora. Could it be a weasel of some kind?
I forgot, she lives in Vermont not too far from me.
Skunks do that around my parts. I have heard about a solar light that works. I saw a thread here one time and DG'ers were saying it really does work. Might try to check that out.
Charlene
a red light would help. and making a closed in house for at night to keep the predator out. it is a nighttime predoator, could be any number of skunk, coon, weasel, feral cat [can't recall it's name], mink.... they all pretty much kill the same way. i am really sad for her. and her birds. does she have a trap or a gun?
I had the exact same problem and if she has them in her area I would almost bet it is mink. They generally feed more off the blood rather than tissue, but are know to eat small amounts. Opossums will do generally the same thing but they are usually dumb enough to hang around and get caught. Most will still be there at daylight. If not the first time or two you will find him. Now there are always exceptions to every rule, but it is generally hard to catch a mink in a steal trap (leg trap). Even if you manage to, they are so small their poor little leg gets cut off and they hobble away. If she has any luck catching them in a trap it would be a live trap. I was able to catch mine in the pigeon house and was able to kill it so I'm not sure as how to bait it. One thing I have always done is use what is left over from last night's kill and bait it with that. Not 100% method, but works.
This message was edited Apr 21, 2008 10:32 AM
I love this website! I had to comment on this thread as my sister and her family lost their entire flock this spring to a mink. It crawled up the outside wall of the coop and got in through a little tiny hole in the rafters. I mean, the hole was teeny tiny! We thought their coop was as secure as Fort Knox, but I guess Elasto-mink proved us wrong. The darned thing slaughtered all thirty hens. There is a farmer up the road about two miles who said he had mink problems with his chickens as well. I live about 10 miles from them and over last few years I've only had fox and raccoon problems. On a happier note, we split an order of chicks and they came in last week and I'm in chicky heaven! Now all I need are some guinea keats and my life will be complete. ( I'm not hard to please....)
I would vote something in the weasel family as well. I have heard the same thing about them biting in the neck behind the head, ect, and they are certainly prevalent to these parts. I am concerned about people saying skunks. I thought skunks only ate the eggs?
http://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-predators.html check this page out. It says raccoons kill by biting the head.
MollyD
Skunks will eat anything just like a opossum or raccoon. They all have closely related hunting and killing tactics, as noted above by someone. The reason I am guessing mink is due to the fact that you have never caught anything in you coop upon entering it. Minks, like coons, are very intelligent. Opossums and skunks don't really care about getting caught as much as they care about eating.
I've never heard of wild minks up here! Do you have them out your way Lorak?
MollyD
I know we have them here, but they seem to be a couple miles down the road. We have, however, caught coon, possum, and skunk in our live traps.
We use marshmallows for bait. I don't know why that would work, but it does. An old lady told us about using them. I guess because of the smell from using meat.
I will post a skunk odor eliminator as soon as I remember the portions of the ingredients. It contains hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap. I just can't remember how much of each. BTY, it works immediately!!
This message was edited Apr 21, 2008 5:17 PM
Skunk Odor Eliminator
I found this recipe on the internet, but instead of mixing it in a bowl, I use a trigger spray bottle to spritz it wherever I need it. We trapped a skunk in the live trap, and when we shot it, it of course sprayed. DH had the skunk odor eliminator with him and as soon as he sprayed it, the odor was gone!!
Skunk Odor Eliminator
1 pint 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
2 tbsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Dish Detergent. The stuff for washing dishes in the sink, not something for dishwashers.
Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and use whenever you need it. It will not keep, so you have to mix a new batch whenever you need it. I keep the ingredients on hand all the time so it is no trouble to make it when I need it.
GG
♥^_^♥
There are lots of minks in NH, not (hopefully) right in my neighborhood, they stay where theres a lot of water. Mink or another weasel is a definite possiblity. I think we have 6 members of the weasel family.
Thanks everyone I will let her know my findings!
Thanks Granny! I copied that just in case I should need it!!
MollyD
You're welcome, Molly
GG
WhoUCallinChckn I should have some keets in a couple of weeks! I am in Woodsville NH/Wells RiverVT. I am VERY open to trades of all sorts! My house is almost 2 years old and my yard is bare of plants etc. We have a well trimmed lawn thanks to my guineas and chickens! I spent a chunk of cash today for fencing around my flower/shrub beds so they can actually grow this year! I hopefully have out smarted those chooks! We are also putting in PROTECTED raised beds for veggies and raising two pigs. I will D-mail you!
it's deinately a mink or a marten, use fresh fish or smelt to catch it. males travel a range that takes them 2 weeks to comepleate a circle. females do it but it is a shorter range and this time of year should be takeing care of babies.
small live trap or 1.5 foot hold with no pan tention will work to catch it. i'd say there is more than one but they don't travel in packs so they will need caught seperate times. check w/ ur state laws as mink /marten are a furbearer but u should have a law that allows for property or poultry damage that will allow to be trapped out of season just u may not be able to use bait. here it is no baiting and must show damage or keep proof of such damage for 2 weeks. if u have to use bait and ur law is similar use one of the carcassases as bait nothing can be said about it. if they don't want to do it them selves i'm a trapper i can see if i can locate a trapper close to them to help them.
if u need any more help just d-mail me be glad to help w/ what i can.
silkie
i had two pet rabbits a mink killed a few years back, chewed their heads and ears off. thankfully he hasnt found the birds yet. and if he does, my 12 gauge is waiting for him.
we saw a fox, a hawk , a coyote and my neighbors cat get at our chickens at different times. the cat would eat a little then leave then come back for another chicken. and yes all but the hawk are dead now.
I learned quickly what attracts a cat.(well mine) Mine would not think twice about pouncing on a young plump keet or chick, even a "teenager" they would find appetizing but a full grown chicken or guinea they are scared to death of. Even in my home they all have a healthy respect for the parrots, just not ones that are small or scared of them so I don't . I keep all chicks and keets completely away from them, they are in wire cages or if they are smaller group in a Xlarge dog plastic kennel with most of the wire door blocked off. I thought it was because my cats were older they didn't want to go out this winter, I found out after all the snow melted it was the guineas and chickens! Everyone, chooks and guineas, hung around the porch, under it was bare (they just needed to go through the stairs to get there) and everyone was dry and happy in sun all winter long and my cats were inside wanting to go out BUT not through them!!!
My cats are also older (9+) and still killers so I take care with young
I know what you mean LoraK--Sunday my 10 year old cat, Lucia, decided to go across the yard while the chickens were out. Delphine (the Delaware and head pullet) spotted her clear across the yard and charged at her full speed with the six other pullets in formation behind her. It was an amazing show of feathery force and the cat was out of there so fast I could hardly tell which way she went. This was the same cat that had been stalking them until they were 6 weeks old. I think if they ran away, instead of straight at her, she would probably still be stalking them. Poor Kitty!
My Uncle looked out into the field one day and saw a neighbor's cat stalking one of the wild turkeys. Well, all the turkeys(7 of them) ended up circling the cat and the poor cat was crouched down in the grass obviously scared half to death! This went on for several minutes until the cat found a gap and made a mad dash out of there. Too funny! I can't imagine what he thought he was going to do with the turkey in the first place!
I just pictured that poor cat surrounded by a flock of mad turkeys. I would have been scared too. How funny.