I think I've lost all my chickens....

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Yeah, just don't want any baby chicks yet, so I get all hens. In 6 years, never had an issue with predators before here. Judging from the carcass of one, I'm still thinking it was a bobcat. He's probably moved on, but I'm still taking precautions. My wife thinks I should go out to the barn armed each night, but I seriously doubt that's necessary (and normally, I'm just wearing shorts without pockets, to go out there, so really no place for a pistol. I'll take my walking staff though, I guess. If I can't fend off a bobcat with that, I should probably turn in my redneck card.
 
Sorry about losing the birds. The problem is that everything likes to each chicken. You have to close them up in the coop every evening around dusk/dark and open every morning. Forget one night, and the predators find it. It's the hardest part of keeping chickens. And I'm not sure a donkey would help with a bobcat problem.

And it's always the same... they get a nice taste on 1 bird... and in a matter of days the predator (bobcat, raccoon, etc) invite their entire family for a thanksgiving feast on your flock. A lesson to learn... we've all been there.

Oh, a buddy of mine used to raise mini donkeys. Cute little things. A few years back they were $5-700. Not sure where they are now.
that is a lot of money for an animal for a pet. I'd rather spend 1400.00 on security and have something physical that increases my property value than an animal that you have to keep putting funds into for vets, food, hoof trimming, etc, etc.
 
Yeah, just don't want any baby chicks yet, so I get all hens. In 6 years, never had an issue with predators before here. Judging from the carcass of one, I'm still thinking it was a bobcat. He's probably moved on, but I'm still taking precautions. My wife thinks I should go out to the barn armed each night, but I seriously doubt that's necessary (and normally, I'm just wearing shorts without pockets, to go out there, so really no place for a pistol. I'll take my walking staff though, I guess. If I can't fend off a bobcat with that, I should probably turn in my redneck card.
Wear IWB holster.
 
that would work....again though, just not seeing the need.

If I'm going out due to a threat though, I've usually got my pistol in a belt holster, and the shotgun in my hands (and tactical light on it (though I would rarely need to use it...I know the shadows, etc. of my property), and shell belt around the stock). Any prowler is in for a bad night.
 
It was in an opened bag. He just drug it away.
Though there are some bobcats around here, I think the biggest chicken taker would be raccoons or hawks. I heard a story about someone finding chick bodies in the coop all the time and were headless. They couldn't figure it out, then it dawned on them that raccoons were grabbing the chicks through the wire, they couldn't get the bodies through, just could eat the head off and then the body would fall to the floor of the coop. Never forgot that one. Kind of gruesome.
 
That is gruesome. These were full grown chickens though. The carcass looked as if it was raked apart by claws or teeth. I suppose raccoons aren't out of consideration, but the paw prints I found in the mud were bobcat. (though I see a lot of raccoon tracks too, often enough). (they look like little hands, hehe).
 
That is gruesome. These were full grown chickens though. The carcass looked as if it was raked apart by claws or teeth. I suppose raccoons aren't out of consideration, but the paw prints I found in the mud were bobcat. (though I see a lot of raccoon tracks too, often enough). (they look like little hands, hehe).
After the soft innards I guess. And they are little hands unless you have gnomes. But I think a gnomes hands are more chubby.
 
So I had to kill the chicken last weekend and today I see a chicken that looks really fat. I picked her up and her stomach was really hard and distended.

Looked up and found 6 possible diagnoses. All end in death. I can't imagine swelling so much and suffocating because your lungs can't function.

I don't want to have to put another lady down but can't let her suffer.
 
It was in an opened bag. He just drug it away.
We keep our dogs food in a Rubbermaid container on the front porch. Twice now a bear has dragged it off. I found one of the containers out in the woods full of bite marks. Never have found the other one.

Update: I finally found the second dog food container. I was riding along the east fence line a couple days ago and found it in some timber. Couldn't find the lid though.
 
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So I had to kill the chicken last weekend and today I see a chicken that looks really fat. I picked her up and her stomach was really hard and distended.

Looked up and found 6 possible diagnoses. All end in death. I can't imagine swelling so much and suffocating because your lungs can't function.

I don't want to have to put another lady down but can't let her suffer.
:(
 
Sorry to hear about your chickens too. :(

I keep dry cat food in a steel trash can in the barn aisle (for the barn kitties). I had to start putting a hand truck on top of it to keep the raccoons from tipping it and feasting on cat food. Caught them at it a couple times before using the handtruck solution.

I'd keep it in our tack room, but the boarders like feeding and petting the cats, so want to keep it out for them.
 
Geez, I was checking on the ill chicken and now she has "fly strike".

I bathed her and I know I got at least 1000 maggots off her butt. I'm guessing they have made it inside her body and that why she is so swollen.

Watch your flocks in the Summer. Even a small injury can attract flies.

I'm going to check the rest of the flock now. I don't want to see any more poopy butts.
 

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