# Whats killing my chickens??



## Guest (Nov 20, 2009)

Well my hens are nice and safe for the time being in their pen-hopefully predator proof--but I had 6 or 7 roosters just waiting to sell or butcher or whatever and well...whatever has been happening.Last one disappeared last night. It started with feathers I noticed in the morning under the tree they had been roosting in and 1 missing rooster. Then a few days later in the same area there were tracks in the snow with two "trails" between the tracks-appears that whatever grabbed the rooster by the neck and drug it with it's legs dragging behind making the tracks. Followed the tracks and found the body and a ton of feathers under a tree further back in the woods. Next day even that was gone. The tracks were starting to melt into the snow so I couldn't tell for sure if there were claws or not-none were noticeable. Looked to be about the size of a half dollar. Now what ever took the rooster took it from out of the tree or off the top of the chicken pen, had to take it and the bird over the wire (about 4 feet) because the chicken couldn't fit through and the tracks went right up to the wire and then took off again on the other side. No blood or even many feathers at the spot where it was taken. Last night we set the live trap and of course it was tripped with nothing inside and the last rooster gone this time leaving a few feathers along the way. We are in Southern Colorado, Pinon Pine,cedars and lots of dry rocky areas. We even have the dogs out to keep an eye on things but they bark at everything from rabbits, deer, cows, and on and on so you just get tired of listening after awhile and they don't seem to even notice when this particular visitor comes around. Any ideas what could be going on here??


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I'd guess a **** or a fox, since both can climb and carry a full grown bird


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

A chicken outside at night is just waiting to be eaten!!
Predators are everywhere. As to the what, heck make a list!

***** are our biggest threat here and they leave signs just like what you described.

A thorough **** kills everything in one night!!!


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2009)

Raccoon would have been our first thought, we've dealt with them before--tracks were nothing like that--either dog or cat family--will a fox climb?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Gray foxes can clmb almost as skillfully as a cat. Tracks would also be similar to a dog or cat. 

Martin


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Around here I'd list possible chicken grabbers; feral cats, fox, neighbor's cats, then maybe a dog, ****, or marten. 
Since there were tracks I'd rule out the owls and hawks..........


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## DYngbld (Jun 16, 2009)

I have had ***** eat several birds right out of the tree. If they don't get in the coop at night, they usually don't make till morning.


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## Jimmy B (Sep 22, 2007)

Large owls swoop m away.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Where I live it would be a **** or a possum.

You might try setting the live trap with raw chicken as bait. You might get an innocent critter, but then again you might catch the guilty party.

Now that the roosters are gone it will try like heck to get a hen.


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## tamsam (May 12, 2006)

Punch holes in a can of cat food and wire it to the back of the cage. That should make them trip the trap trying to get the can out. Good luck. Sam


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

When I was trapping coyotes and bobcats in NM I saw cat like track about that size. It wasn't a small bobcat because the distance between prints was too short. 

I was never able to catch whatever made the tracks but I thought it might be a ringtail.


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