What did those chickens know about the Clintons?

I got the same problem.  Only there's evidence - edit: a few feathers and a broken trail of sparse feathers.  My flock kept getting hit anywhere between 1pm - 6pm. Even though radio was on fairly loud.
They are safe in coop at night.

Trail cam got one daytime pic - otherwise they are out at night.  The woods are super dense here, Coyotes have a network of " tunnels " in the low brush.

If you are out for a revenge shot, you may wanna hunt, like you're out for coyotes.

FOX

Foxes snatch the chickens and run off with chickens or ducks into woods/brush
Foxes strike anytime and are very sly.
I watched one fox (recording on my security cam system) herd/push my chickens around house, then run all the other way around the  house and sneak up behind and grab a chicken and run into woods.
Hawks come down, strangle them and then pick them apart and leave a mess.

Both owls and hawks are both protected. Big money taking one of those.  

Get nets.

8654

Suspect #1 might be the OP's neighbor

Lol

Now you did it.

Exactly!

At least it will help diagnose the issue...

All native North American raptors are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Act, some are further protected as endangered species.

I have lost quite a few since i started raising poultry and learned a couple tricks, and hopefully some may help you.

Everything is raising young this time of year, so its tough.

Losing 1 chicken a day is quite a high number though and there is a couple things you could do.

To deter Birds of prey, especially hawks, hang old cds, dvds, on strings and place them around the coops so they can move and rotate freely. Dont ask me how it works, but it does.

Your fence is way to short. I have 10 foot 4x4s around my chicken run and was still having problems with predators getting in.
What type of fencing do you have around your run?

Poultry fence is worthless and only good at keeping poultry in(half the time). Worthless to keep anything out.
I use welded wire and have found it stronger and inexpensive. I also buried it 4 inches at the base of my 4x4s to prevent digging under the fence.
Something to keep in mind.


I used old tennis netting to put over the top of the run, usually cheaper than poultry netting, but the holes are usually bigger depending on the type you use.


Any hot wire?
Electric fence is cheap and you can usually find an old energizer cheap.
Try running a few strands around your run.
One wire 5-6" off the ground and another at the top. It will keep coons, opossums and anything else than wants to climb your fence out.

Mow around coop out to the treeline and keep it free of debris. Less cover for predators to use to sneak up on poultry.

You could put an old radio out by coop. Turn it on to talk radio and let it play all night.
Most animals will avoid the area. Animals will get use to it though so a couple night on, couple nights off. Switch up and rotate times its playing.

Piss all around your coop when your outside. Piss on the fence posts, on the gate, on the coop, piss on everything. Spread your scent around. More effective than you think.

My recommendations with how your run sits now is:

1. Hang cds or dvd, or shiny objects around coop to detour BoP.

2. Run hot wire around coop.

3. Mow

4. Add radio

When you can:

1. Make run fence higher

2. Add poultry netting

3. Better fencing

Good luck in your quest.

Both coyote and fox can kill without leaving sign, but your situation sounds like a BoP.

Especially if the ground is wet and there are no prints in the mud.

That, or someone is stealing your chickens

Punji pits and flak cannons.

Yep^^^

Okay, I stayed on the stand until dusk then put up the birds in the pen, no sightings of any kind, bird or ground predator.

I'm going to look into poultry netting. The pen itself is 48" livestock fence, the pen was originally for my deceased goats. Never had problems with coyotes and the fence, last year's massacre was due to my idiot stepson leaving the coop open for a week while we were gone. As long as we close the coop door at dusk, small predators like the coons, possums, etc pretty much left the birds alone.

I've seen ONE set of tracks that didn't belong--dog-like paw prints about 1 1/2" wide, about half the size of my mutt and a third the size of my Great Dane. It was in the mud down trail from the pen the day we lost the first gen. Since then, no tracks. I'm going to reposition the game cam and see if there's anything on foot outside the pen at night.

I have that same chicken house

The owl that got my last chicken was tearing it to shreds in the front yard it had its head and spine off like sub zero from mortal combat

I've had foxes that would hit in the daylight and take just one chicken per day every day. But your track sounds like a coyote.
Be sure to bait the gamecam to make sure the animal gets right in front of it.

Also, I like to take a rake and create huge track traps. A stiff rake covers a hell of a lot of ground quick.
Good luck.

Col. Sanders should be given a pretty good look, if you know what I'm saying.

What round for Col Sanders? Lol

That thread was classic.

We had an owl attempt to fly off with an overweight Mallard hen one evening.  
It failed, but we learned not all threats to the ducks were coons and dogs.

Although it was dogs that finally got them all.

Just about the funniest thread ever

Sounds like coyotes to me. Around here, the packs tend to move year to year. We were surrounded one year. This year nada. One year, 10 hens and a rooster disappeared and I figured it was coyote-pocalypse for them. A few days later, I saw the rooster post up on the treeline near the coop and send his harem back to the coop in fire team rushes while he covered All I could figure was that they went foraging, got lost, and then found a safe place to hole up til they figured out how to get back. It was weird.

The cleverness and resourcefulness of predators that hunt for a living can be amazing.

Correct.

I lost many chickens to this before I figured it out.

We lost three - one a day for three days last week.  We put them in at night and they free range during the day.  I knew they were disappearing between 4:00 pm and when we closed the coop doors for the night.  Found feathers in three spots along the outer perimeter of their free range area, close to cover.  I sat and waited on the fourth day and shot the coyote as it was stalking through the cover about twenty minutes before sunset.  We have not lost any hens since.

Probably The Hound.  He's gonna have to eat all those fucking chickens.

Good shoot!

What did you kill him with?

LOL!  He's my spirit animal!

most states having a livestock clause...that allows younto protect your property.

243 Winchester at about 130 yards.

fox, coyote, babcat. taking it back to the den to feed their young

Hawks. I saw one pick up one of my big hens and fly off with her in broad daylight. Happened so fast I couldn't react.  No evidence left. Freaked me out as I didn't know they could pickup such a big bird on the fly. My dog has since learned on his own to go after anything big flying in the vicinity of the chickens.  As soon as he sees a hawk, eagle, buzzard or anything else like that he starts running like crazy and barking. Not sure how or why he learned this. Have never lost another chicken since that one.

Need to knock that brush back a bit. Charlie can sneak right up the the wire.

Father in laws chickens were being taken by hawks.  Tazwell,TN.

Had the same problem. Saw a commotion middle of one afternoon and walked out to see Mr Babcat slowly turn and walk back and jump over the 4" fence headed to the back .40.

It slowly paralleled the fence a few yards into the woods.  Saw it cross every break in the trees as I calmly made my way to the shed.

When it popped out into my neighbor's yard, I put a .177 pellet in it's ass and it was gone.  Definitely not enough gun, but it hasn't been back.

Plenty of wet dirt for tracks, but it never left any sign other than a few small feather piles.  I was sure it was a hawk.

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We had a yote pulling some bandit shit on our birds.  Was sneaking along the side of the barn and nabbing them.

Posted up with ye ole 11-87 and some #4.  Father in law was covering the other approach.  Yote did not survive initial contact.

Owls get the big jack rabbits here, I suspect they also go for kittens when the neighbor brings them home and lets them run around outside.  Find owl pellets once in a while.

Owls here are very large, at least the size of a vulture if not larger.

Why? They taste kinda like manatee.
So I'm told. 

Nibbler.


Or maybe El Chupanibre....

Smear mud on the chickens and setup a deadfall trap.

I was thinking the same thing, might want to switch to bird shot

My biggest daytime attacks, where more than one bird disappeared, were foxes. They run off and hide their kill, then come back for more.

Here's one where I heard the attack in the front yard, opened my window and fired through the screen with a shotgun;
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This one was attacking on the trail behind the house, and just after opening the back door I saw it pouncing on a hen. Got it from standing in the doorway;
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Here's one I got on trail cam, just before it killed my rooster.
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I've had Bobcat attacks too, but they usually grab one and disappear for a week.

where was this? I saw a golden Eagle take a jack Russel in collier county off oil well road

12 gauge. This will be an air assault

Just remember birds of prey are FEDERALLY protected.
Don't lose your gun rights over dead chickens.

I'd put money on an OWL - unless you have frequent eagles in your AO.

In for the trophy pic.

Please edit title when trophy is taken.

Lost another one between 4pm and now. Strung old CD's up as someone else suggested. Ordered poultry netting this morning. Shit. It was my daughter's  barred rock hen. Only three eggs today, they're definitely off their normal laying habits. Goddamnit.


Edit: found fucking tracks of whatever it is.

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They're maybe an inch and a half wide, two inches front to back at most. Not my dags.