Missing Chickens

[Stere]

Just lost another chicken last evening to a fox... Brand new chicken only bought 2 days ago.

 

Chickens are  keep in a outdoor run  & get locked in a shed  at night.

 

Its about the 3rd one over the last 5 months its always only one hen at a time. Only  1 only 2 feathers & no other traces left each time. Always the youngest  & most healthy chicken also ?

 

Previous times before they last 3 there was always alot more feathers.... (That was before the fence when they were  free range in field)

 

Fence is about 5ft but it  must be jumping it?

Could be something else not a fox?

 

 

Any suggestions apart from re-doing whole fence higher. Area is large about 25m X 25m

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Stere

[Gary Prentice]

7 minutes ago, Stere said:

Just lost another chicken last evening to a fox... Brand new chicken only bought 2 days ago.

 

Chickens are  keep in a outdoor run  & get locked in a shed  at night.

 

Its about the 3rd one over the last 5 months its always only one hen at a time. Only  1 only 2 feathers & no other traces left each time. Always the youngest  & most healthy chicken also ?

 

Previous times before they last 3 there was always alot more feathers....

 

Fence is about 5ft but it  must be jumping it?

Could be something else not a fox?

 

 

Any suggestions apart from re-doing whole fence higher. Area is large about 25m X 25m

 

 

 

 

They are remarkably agile creatures. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility (IMO) that one hasn't scurried over the fence - who knows.  Would a released ferret take a chicken? 

 

I'd check very carefully for even very small holes in or below the fence. If there's no visible means of entry, could you add some sort of overhang (even a couple of strands of wire) to the top of the fence?

 

Thinking outside the box, 

Hunt continues for chihuahua 'snatched by seagull' after vets examine leg bone - Mirror Online

WWW.MIRROR.CO.UK

---

A seagull is said to have snatched Gizmo the dog from a garden in Paignton, Devon, leaving his owner Rebecca Hill...

 

[Bob_z_l]

45 minutes ago, Stere said:

Just lost another chicken last evening to a fox... Brand new chicken only bought 2 days ago.

 

Chickens are  keep in a outdoor run  & get locked in a shed  at night.

 

Its about the 3rd one over the last 5 months its always only one hen at a time. Only  1 only 2 feathers & no other traces left each time. Always the youngest  & most healthy chicken also ?

 

Previous times before they last 3 there was always alot more feathers.... (That was before the fence when they were  free range in field)

 

Fence is about 5ft but it  must be jumping it?

Could be something else not a fox?

 

 

Any suggestions apart from re-doing whole fence higher. Area is large about 25m X 25m

 

 

 

 

It's sad.

 

I've had exactly the same this year...from 12 down to 3. 

 

I can echo that the kills have been a lot cleaner without the absolute carnage we've seen in the past years.

 

Because of the lack of mess I was looking at whether it was a Buzzard or Red Kite as we have bantams it would be easy I thought.

 

It was, for us, definitely the fox as eventually he has been seen by both the wife and I brazenly standing looking at them not 20 feet from the back door and our two dogs (whippets).

 

Our answer was get one of the metal pet cages 6 x 3 x 1.5 ft.

 

It put him/her off enough that they have found easier pickings somewhere else.

 

Hope you sort it.

 

Bob

 

 

 

[woody paul]

Electric fence as used for cattle 1 line about a foot up and a foot away and one at top of fence. 

Or a. 243win is best.

Edited July 31, 2019 by woody paul

[arboriculturist]

A fox would have killed the lot at 1 hit at night -  daytime usually just 1 or 2.

 

Badger, Mink, Stoat, Weasel, Ferret, Peregrine, Buzzard or other Raptor depending on your national location.

 

Invest in electric fencer as mentioned and an auto - shut sliding door for the henhouse.

 

Good luck.

Edited July 31, 2019 by arboriculturist

[Bunzena]

Best to know what's doing the killing - then you can work out the best strategy to stop it. 

 

We lost a few ducks to what I thought was a fox - turned out to be rats.  [Not suggesting this is the case with you].

 

An electric fence is a good suggestion for a Fox - not so good if the culprit has wings.

 

We bought a cheap wildlife camera and set it up.  Caught the b4stards on film - in the act.

 

Mixture of Fenn traps and poison then sorted-out things out.

[woody paul]

If a raptor takes a chicken there would be a lot of feathers. 

Depending on were you are could be pole cat. 

[MattyF]

Electric Fence perimeter, we live in a forest and surrounded by foxes , you can see there eyes at night with a lamp and they are surrounding you ! but they hate electric fences.. had this lot of hens over a year and regularly we focxes within 20 m of them and they don’t bother them , they could easily jump on a wall to get in the perimeter but they don’t bother.

[arboriculturist]

18 minutes ago, woody paul said:

If a raptor takes a chicken there would be a lot of feathers. 

Depending on were you are could be pole cat. 

Not always, I have seen them just plucked off the ground and headed straight to a nearby open area of ground or fence post to be ripped apart.

Don't rule out Pine Martin depending on location.

[Stere]

Thanks for the suggestions

 

Gonna strim & trim  as its become abit of jungle along one side of boundary that  borders on a clawdd/hegderow. Then will be able to see any holes/animals tracks/traces better

 

Used a camera before yrs ago on the hen house pop hole & it caught magpies stealing eggs whole without breaking them.

 

 

Seen a few  dead polecats on road over last yr or so, having never seen one before that. So thinking it might be one squeezing though a hole somewhere.

 

 

 

Quote

The name 'polecat' may be derived from the early French expression poule-chat (chicken-cat), a reference to its perceived liking for poultry.

Hmmm...?

 

Neighbour had a whole load of hens killed at once but iv'e never had that happen.