Chicken massacre

[Ozark Wizard]

Yup. Full blown.....

Let 16 chickens out of their coop and they were working the orchard paddock today. Did a lot of in and out work, rotating clothing for warmer temperatures, checking fence, watching the birds and such. Around noon gave the chickens my leftover rice and veg lunch. A few hours later, walked out the back door and they saw me, and all came running, as they do. I'm the food guy.......

Tonight, I saw 5 of the chickens were still out as I gave out sweet feed to the llamas and sheep. Noticed a pair of chicken wings and scattered feathers. This was a hundred feet or so from where the chickens are. And outside the paddock. So I went to check for evidence around and in the coop.

Found the rest of the other chickens. Very little left but feathers and scant wings, a couple of heads, really not much.

So I had to clean out the coop, and while doing so found a huge scat pile. HUGE!! I don't have anything that would cast something of that size.

Reinforced the coop, though there was no damage. I figure whatever got to them walked in the open door to their nests. But thought I better strengthen what I thought was weak, because whatever ate 11 chickens will be back to finish the job tomorrow, or tonight.

I need to work on some tactics. This is no Bueno. Practically happened right under my and my dog's noses.

Curious indeed.

 

[Fr_Tom]

When we kept chickens, we had a goose named Silly. This was the early warning goose. If anything came close to the henhouse, the goose went nuts. You could hear it and come running with a .22.

 

[Fight'n Hampsters]

Man that sucks. Hope you get it figured out

 

[Brewdude]

WOW!

Dog? Coyote? Fox?

I'm betting on a fox. Hope you get the SOB Ozzie!

:x


No Cheers!

RR

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I got the live trap loaded, and my tree camera batteries are charging. The trap is big enough to trap my Aussie, so whatever it is can be up to about 60 pounds of animal. If I get it, it's going for a nice drive to the other side of the forest.

I've gotten tired of killing things lately. Or cleaning up what's killed. Just tired I guess.

 

[Timbo]

It sure sucks losing something you've raised from a little thing to almost mature, especially enmasse. Lost my chilli harvest in a heatwave when I was away for a weekend. Was annoyed but bet you nowhere near as you must be Wiz. 

Hope you get the bugger and get a nice skin from it mate. 

Cheers 

Tim

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Talked to some of the local forest dwellers today, regarding the condition of their critters. Guess I'm the last one on this side of the ridgeline with fowl of any kind. One showed me a photo on their phone of a cat that looks like a lynx or Bobcat. My sample of the scat I found in the coop will go into the Missouri Dept of Conservation for analysis Monday. That will tell much.

I'm watching the trees now. But I will take the battle to them. I will wake up Father's Day morning in my hammock. Good night for camping. Though I have already pulled a firefly out of my right ear.

It's alright, it's alright. I've got this.........



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[Stick]

Hopefully you won't have to go to the moons of Nibea, Oz.

On a more serious note I was sorry to learn of your news. My wife's family used to keep chickens and from time to time a fox would take the lot. Frustrating thing about a fox is they won't just take what they need, but will kill the lot.

Not sure why, but from your description a cat kill sprung to mind which is odd because my first guess would normally be fox. I hope you catch the little blighter and am keen to learn of the culprit.

Good luck matey...

 

[idbowman]

Guess I'm the last one on this side of the ridgeline with fowl of any kind. One showed me a photo on their phone of a cat that looks like a lynx or Bobcat.

I might be really wrong, but I think a bobcat is a subspecies of lynx, no? If so, I'd bet that's your culprit if it's the same critter the other fella caught on camera (as far as I know, no other subspecies of lynx gets anywhere near that far south). Of course it could be something else altogether - Any chance it's a coyote?

 

[Ozark Wizard]

MDC(Missouri Dept of Conservation) said they will get back to me on the fecal exam, as apparently not many folks bring in such evidence. Usually hair, much smaller, um, waste or obviously bear in origin. Footprints would have been helpful, I was told.

The gal at the desk thought it was cougar. I don't think so myself, but I have yet to spot anything predatory in nature, other than raccoons and possum. I hear coyote calls in the evenings generally, but nothing really close, and not lately.

Skulking and lurking about in the woods, the best I have come up with is spooking the deer, bunnies, and the like. No sign of wild pigs either.

Other than an occasional flashback to my days as a paid warrior, things have been rather quiet. I guess it's good to keep one's edge sharp. It beats sitting on the couch and watching TV. At least for me. I can say it is as active around here at night as it is during the day, just a bit quieter. Until the cicadas show up....

 

[Deleted member 2386]

Good luck, man, that's a real bummer. Hope you catch the varmint, whatever it is.

I once saw a bobcat in the backwoods of North Florida and that thing was way bigger than I would've expected--I was out with my dad and we heard this eerie, almost baby-like call coming from up ahead on the trail, so we stopped and waited, and then a small fawn burst out of the undergrowth, limped across the trail, and kept going...and right after it a bobcat the size of an Aussie cattle dog came out after it, walking quick but hardly at an all-out run, and after looking at me and my dad it gave another cry and disappeared back into the woods. Neither of us had ever seen one before but we both assumed they were a lot smaller, and certainly never imagined they got big and bold enough to go after a young deer, but seeing's believing.