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Barnyard Buddies:  Free range chickens being massacred!  |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 05:05:06 AM
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So, the group of 9 chicks I hatched have been free ranging for a few weeks now. They've integrated perfectly with the other hens, established flock, except at night. They roost in a different area. Well, two nights ago I lost 4 (That's right, 4) chickens from my newer group. I tried to get all of them to go in their "coop" (A HUGE chicken wired dog crate) and all except ONE of my new chicks would go in. Also, one of my hens from my established flock wouldn't roost with the rest last night.
Found half of the hen this morning by my horse pasture. I'm really not heartbroken at the loss of HER, as she's a very mean hen, and she attacks the newbies, and seems to act more like a rooster than a hen. But losing those 4 of my new group has really hurt me.
So, I'm setting up a trail camera tonight in the barn to see what it is. I told my husband I just wanted to sit out all night and shoot it, but he wants to see what it is and THEN deal with it. I'd be open to trapping it, but we've got cats and stuff that would probably set the trap on their own.
Anyway, I'm tired of it, and once we see what it is I'm sitting out there ALL NIGHT IF NEED BE, and shooting it.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 06:55:46 AM
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oh megan i am so sorry for you. i just hate when our animals cant just be. there is always something going on. i hope you catch it. so what does this camera do? sounds like a good idea. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 07:00:30 AM
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I'm excited to see what the trail camera tells you! Hate it when we lose our chickens, except here its always hawks. Do you have any guesses about what it might be? Anything lurking around the area?
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 07:02:36 AM
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Megan, so sorry you lost your birds. Something got one of my little chicks the other night in the coop. My friends over the ridge said something has gotten every single one of their chickens and they had alot of them. All gone. I guess I am fortunate to just lose one. And most of mine roost in the trees and right out on the fence in the open. I heard a hoot owl a few nights ago and wanted to gather them all up. But they are still here. I sure hope you can catch whatever did this. Good luck.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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mydakota
True Blue Farmgirl
152 Posts
kristi
redmond
oregon
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 09:45:07 AM
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Owls can be death on things. A few years ago, we lost a couple of cats to them. I have a covered chicken run attached to the henhouse that they all stay in at night. That keeps them safe for the most part, but once a skunk even tunneled into that.
HearthCricket Farm. Where the door is always open, and the coffee is always on. |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 10:38:34 AM
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This is why my poultry is NOT free range, they have a enclosed coop, and a huge fully enclosed yard that also has dig wire, on the inside and out. I refuse to kill every animal (wildlife does not know the differance between other wildlife and domesticated animals) that crosses my property, the eco-system is way to fragil as it is...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 11:33:29 AM
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Oh Megan what a awful thing to have to wake up to...I am so sorry & I do know how hard it is to lose them......
I understand the idea of free ranging as the chickens get a healthier freer life which is what we all want but even with them cooped & having a run they can be unsafe...I know from experience when an animal wants in they will figure out a way not matter what you have up to protect the animals....& its heart breaking for me to lose any of them....
Each of us has the choice of how we want to raise our animals free range, caged or runs....None are wrong but all have problems at one time or another that we have to deal with....Killing a predator can be painful but sometimes needed...
up here not only do I deal with dogs, raccoons, skunks, owls. cats & rats but also hawks, vultures, bears, minks & fishercats, i have yet to have to kill anything thank goodness but I have come very close as the pain of my babies deaths is so unfair & they suffer.
I do agree that the eco-system is at times in a unbalance & needs to be noticed...but we must also remember that a over amount of any one animal will knock the eco-system off as well.....
I do not know thank goodness any of my friends out shooting animals just for the fun of it but to protect their animals...a lot of what go after chickens will go after cats, small dogs, baby turkeys & small new born 4 legged animals that they can carry off. anyone that has had to deal with a coyote,fox or wolf understands this & may have to make the decision to end its life.
Never feel guilty or ashamed of what you must do to protect your animals...Raising animals is tough, can be expensive, time consuming & protecting them is part of that deal.
We have come so far that we forget what it was like to live without computers, TVs & other modern items....At one time none of this was here & our animals & gardens were what we lived on..some of us are trying to take back that part of life & its got its pluses but also the negatives like animals that kill our livestock.....
I hope Megan you can find out what the animal is & decide what you must do...any choice you make is the right way for you.....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 1:48:40 PM
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Michele, believe me, I do have many predators where I live, black bear, Mt. Lions, Bobcats, Coyotes, Hawks, Eagles, Owls, stray/ferral dogs and cats, and unhumanne humans...so I do what I have to do to make them safe and yet, not feel "caged", and if I do have a problem with any of them, I will take what measures I need to, to protect human and animal life, and that includes shooting if nessacery, my point is, if you do not protect your livestock as best as humanly possible against whatever danger they may face, then you have no one to blame but yourself, and YES, I learned that the hard way many years ago, and will no longer leave any defenceless animal to chance...just my opinion...as we all know, sometimes you just have to agree to dis-agree...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 4:47:25 PM
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Megan did they tear through the wire and pull the chickens out of the crate or were these chickens the ones that would not go up for the night? If its the ones that were in the crate and they tore the wire I would change the wire thats on it. Chicken wire is very weak wire and coons and possums can chew threw it as well as other creatures. I always use hardware cloth....pricier but its super strong little squares. Been using it hear for 19 years and nothing has gotten through it yet excect bugs and they like those.
So very sorry for you loss. Be careful if you go outside at night and sit.You don't know what may come up.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Lieberkim
True Blue Farmgirl
839 Posts
Kimberly
Sunnyside
WASHINGTON
USA
839 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 5:07:04 PM
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What a terrible loss! Hope you catch the culprit!
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2011 : 06:18:40 AM
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All my chickens have coops. My newer group had been roosting on top of their coop-whatever it was climbed up there and got them because I found the wings and foot ON TOP of the coop, where they roost. I've been locking them all up at night now.
We set up the trail camera last night, but unfortunately, it's broken. It's not taking any pictures-and my husband didn't fill out the warrantee card.
Now, I get that predators don't get the difference between domesticated animals/prey, but these predators are coming very close to the house. That's just plain and simply dangerous, and not going to be tolerated. I've got a horse, dogs, cats...I'm not letting a predator that's so bold stick around.
I'll be staying up until 3 am tonight waiting for it, and then my husband will take over @ 3 am.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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Edited by - walkinwalkoutcattle on Aug 19 2011 06:20:59 AM |
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Lieberkim
True Blue Farmgirl
839 Posts
Kimberly
Sunnyside
WASHINGTON
USA
839 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2011 : 06:23:44 AM
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What sort of predators do you have in Kentucky?
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
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gathered herb
True Blue Farmgirl
87 Posts
Patty
Ormond Beach
florida
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2011 : 09:37:10 AM
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| So sad... those babies don't have a chance... I have lost three kittens to owls,,, & the other morning, I must have scared off one from eating a rabbit in my horse pasture.. However, Owls are one of my favorite birds. They do eat the kill, unlike some cats, they kill for the hunt... No cats at my farm until I can move out there... I have tons of predator birds around me... Lifes circle... patty |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2011 : 12:29:11 PM
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Oh Tina I wasn't coming down on you at all honey, I just understand both sides to this & just wanted to reinforce those issues for those who don't know, thats why it was soooo long...lol....I do not agree or disagree I was just putting out there thoughts & ideas for others.....Raising animals of any kind can be so hard at times & we all need a shoulder to lean on when we are confused, sad or angry....I just wanted to be that shoulder for others dealing with this.....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1145 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1145 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 12:28:14 PM
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A thought on your trail cam....I had problems w/ mine last night. I had gone and bought a new 2GB SD card for it. Well, this gamecam is older and anyway it would NOT take a pic. Man, I was MAD at it. Well, I happened to have a 32MB card (very, very outdated by today's standards!) and it worked just fine. As it turns out, the gamecam just can't 'understand' a higher megabyte card. Just a thought!
Also, you will find with chickens that they must be put up every night in a coop, no exceptions. I learned this the hard way, too. I lost several to raccoons, and several to coyotes. This stopped when I put the hens in a secure coop (that is, fully reinforced wire with mostly solid sides). A good coop will be protected on ALL sides, including the floor. Also, chicken wire is not strong enough. A hungry predator can, and will, chew through it, and raccoons can reach through it and can, and will, rip your chicken apart through it. Their roost needs to have solid sides surrounding it to prevent this. Hope you find out what's getting them! This site may also help you to identify your predator by the nature of the kill: http://icwdm.org/inspection/Livestock.aspx
a
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 5:35:33 PM
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Trap is set up tonight! We'll see what we catch.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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Barnyard Buddies: Free range chickens being massacred! |
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Free range chickens being massacred!
