Solving Omlet Smart Auto Door Timing Issues with Alexa Routines

[Tweety]

I have got a terrible problem at the moment and would be very grateful for any suggestions as to what to do. I have found 4 of my hens dead and eviscerated in the run over the course of the last week, and think I have a killer or killers in the flock. My husband thinks it could be rats - we have seen a few around the run recently so I have put Eradibait down - but has anyone heard of rats killing chickens? I know that it could not be any other sort of predator, because the run is secure and I believe that the usual suspects would kill all the hens rather than just one at a time, so I suspect that one or more of my hens is responsible. Also, I have 2 hens in a separate fenced off area of the run as they are on baytril for head injuries received in what must have been another attack - these 2 would be easier targets for rats than the other girls in the main part of the run, but they are untouched (at the moment).

I decided to try a process of elimination, and last night I removed the 2 most aggressive girls from the run and housed them separately overnight - but found another girl dead this morning, so they are off the hook, and I don't think the elimination idea will sort things out quickly enough.

I have thought of moving them all - and the Cubes they live in - out of the secure run in case it is rats that are killing them, but then they will be more at risk from other predators. I am at my wits end and, short of sleeping in the run myself to see what is happening ( which I don't intend to do ), just don't know what to do for the best. CCTV has been suggested, but there is no power supply anywhere near the run and I can't afford to incur the expense involved in that idea in any event.

Any ideas will be gratefully received - I am so upset at what is happening, but just feel helpless and guilty about my poor dead girls. I should add that my girls have lived in their present situation perfectly happily for more than 2 years, they have a huge secure run, regular free-ranging, food and water.

[Egluntyne]

How awful for you.

 

It sounds to me more like the work of a mink or similar.

 

Rats do occasionally kill chickens, but generally, they are more interested in the food.

[migsy]

How awful for you. I know your suggestion of sleeping in the run was tongue in cheek but do you have a tent? If you could sleep in the garden you might hear something and be able to pop your head out to see what is going on. The weather is good enough at the moment. I hope you sort it out very soon. Let us know what happens.

[Redwing]

I'd say Mink or maybe an escaped ferret

 

Are there any signs of digging or access points etc? how big are the holes in the mesh?

[scarlettohara]

Either the council or a pest control would put rat/pest traps down around your run (there may be a cost) but at least you know what it is. How horrid for you

[Chucky Mama]

Are there any signs of digging or access points etc? how big are the holes in the mesh?

 

I would ask the same questions.

[meezers]

Can you not shut the chooks in the cube for the night and set traps in the run ? I caught a couple of rats that way, if you suspect another predator you could try different traps. Or are the chooks being killed whilst inside the cube ?

If you look in the predator/pest section on the practical poultry forum, there are alot of discussions over what kills chooks and how, might help you work out what it is you're dealing with.

[Chucky Mama]

Sorry tweety but surely it should be pretty straightforward if there is or is not evidence of tunnelling into the run whether something is getting at them or not

[jennydavies]

When we first moved here we saw a rat now and again in the garden. It got into our neighbours Pidgeon WIR one night and killed all six of his best pidgeons (these are big wild wood pidgeons that he uses for hunting, not your average everyday pidgeon) a couple of days later one of our Greyhounds caught the rat and killed it. I would say there is a good chance it's a rat. So sorry to hear of your predicament and losses.

[Redwing]

Rats can certainly kill a chicken, they do tend to go for the head but dont usually take on a healthy adult and dont do a great deal of damage beyond the head

[migsy]

I didn't think that rats could get into a "secure" run. I suppose it depends upon how big the mesh is. Do rats dig? Sorry if this sounds stupid.

[ClaireG]

I had all my bantams killed in very similar circumstances a few months ago. From a process of ilimination and through talking to neighbours etc we think it was either a mink, stout or weasel.

[Tweety]

Thank you all for your replies. My set up is that the 2 Cubes are in a stable, there are brick walls on 3 sides and a heavily fortified front entrance to the run which is in front of the stable,with upright paving slabs dug into the ground to prevent burrowing and heavy wire mesh. There is also a door between the run and the stable. My bantams live in the run in their Eglu, and they have not been attacked so far, so I really don't think that a predator is getting in. I had thought of mink, polecats etc, but I thought that they would kill all the hens at once rather than one at a time on different days, which is what has been happening in my case. And why would they ignore the bantams and the 2 girls in the hospital area?

I always leave the Cube doors open at night, but I think I may close them tonight as meezers suggests and see what happens.

Chucky Mama,I can find no signs of digging/tunneling anywhere round the run, other than rat holes which I have blocked off with bricks as far as I can, which is why I think the culprit is a hen/hens. Is this a non-starter as an idea as to the possible culprit? I know that hens can be cannibals, but would they actually attack and kill another hen to eat it?

As regards damage to the dead birds, this has been to the head and internal organs.

I will see if anything happens tonight and will let you know.

Thanks again.

[Egluntyne]

I'm afraid that they would eat a dead companion. They have no qualms about cannibalism.

 

However, you need to be sure that it is one of your hens that is responsible.

 

I'd got through a process of elimination and partner them up with different hens and see what happens.

 

I would put some chicken wire, several layers thick, at the back of the Eglu, where the poo tray slides in and out, as this is the ususal entry point for mink and the like, to eliminate this as a possibility.

[Tweety]

Thankfully, all my girls survived the night. I locked them in their various cubes and eglus last night, apart from the 3 Sebrights who were perched too high up in the rafters for me to reach. Hopefully, the solution to the problem will be as simple as shutting the doors to their accommodation, which I shall continue to do from now on, as I really don't think I can make the run any more secure - and I still don't know where the offender has been getting in.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post.

[Jools]

Yes, rats will kill and eat chickens, so if you've found rat holes, they really are the most likely culprit.

 

I would definitely suggest keeping them locked in at night so you can set some traps.

 

I discovered a family of rats living in the wall which adjoins my aviary, which in turn houses my broodies and their chicks. Fortunately I was in time and got myself a secure run to erect inside the aviary to keep my youngsters safe. We're busy poisoning, trapping and shooting the rats!

[Mercedes55]

What an awful story, I'm so sorry about your hens. I live near a brook and over the years have had problems with rats, so will have to make sure my hens are safe when I get them.

 

I know you mentioned about CCTV being too expensive to install, which I'm sure it is. However another way round it would be to just use a laptop with a webcam and connect that with one of those outdoor extension leads. I know it's not ideal but if you have a laptop or access to one it might be an idea

[Tweety]

Thanks Jools and Mercedes. I had no idea that a rat would kill a hen and will definitely get some rat traps as the Eradibait doesn't seem to have done the trick yet. I will also continue to shut the doors on the Cubes at night.

 

However, when I was doing my daily poo - pick today I noticed that there were small clusters of red mite under the poo trays in both Cubes. I have not had red mite before, and clean the Cubes regularly with Poultry Shield and dust with mite powder etc, but have cleaned them both thoroughly again and sprinkled DE everywhere. Whilst reading the blurb on the back of the Diatom container, I was astonished to discover that red mite can apparently cause cannibalism and I am now wondering if this might have something to do with the deaths of my girls or if it is just coincidence. Has anyone ever heard of such a scenario?

[Redwing]

Chickens will go for blood if they see it so if a hen is affected by red mite and pecks at herself or the red mite leaves traces of blood on the skin then yes I guess its possible

 

What is more likely is that a hen under the weather is weakened by red mite and the others see her as an easy target, one odd peck draws blood and they zone in but that wouldnt explain the number of deaths you've had

 

I've had three hens that have been nearly killed by other hens, in all cases there were flesh wounds down to the bone but no injuries to the head and no tearing injuries that would cause the internal organs to be exposed

 

Eradibait isnt the best poison in the world if you want a quick knock back on rat numbers

 

I can understand your puzzlement, when people have said in the past that their runs are really secure they've turned out not to be but yours sounds like a really good solid set up so its very strange

[Tweety]

Thanks for that Redwing. It really is very strange, and I will probably never find out exactly what has been going on unless I catch the perpetrator in the act. All I can do is follow the usual excellent advice from forum members and hope that there are no more deaths. I'll keep you posted if there are any further developments.

[meezers]

I've been browsing the practical poultry forums for you. General opinion on there is that if the head and internal organs and or breast meat is eaten ( sorry if TMI ), then it's most likely a member of the mustelid family - ferret, stoat or weasel. Have you covered the gap near the poo tray ? as if it is a stoat, maybe it could enter the cube through there ?

The general opinion on the forum is that a rat would be unlikely to go for an adult bird and do damage in that way.

I think I'd be setting traps all over the stable in hope of catching whatever it is, though I'm not sure you can trap a ferret or stoat the same way as a rat

[tom123]

Don't under estimate the mustelids. They can squeeze through an 1 1/2 inch x 1 1/2 inch gap. Take great precautions against them, they really are horrid. Lost a few broodies and chicks to them after they squeezed through the gaps in the roofing (onduline).

[Tweety]

Thanks meezers and tom. I had a look at the forum too, and it certainly sounds as if the most likely culprit is a mustelid - the head and internal organs were eaten on all my birds.

My eglus are pushed up against a wall at the back, with bricks filling in the gaps at the sides, so hopefully nothing will be able to get in that way. However, if a mustelid can get in through a 1.5x1.5 inch gap, I am a bit worried about the ventilation holes at the front of the eglu.I didn't think about covering the poo tray gap on the cubes either, and will give that serious thought tomorrow. I will have to devise something with mesh to cover those options, unless anyone has any better ideas.

[Egluntyne]

Redwing and I both suggested that this was the case. The story was typical of such an attack.

 

I srecommended the following in a previous post.

 

I would put some chicken wire, several layers thick, at the back of the Eglu, where the poo tray slides in and out, as this is the ususal entry point for mink and the like, to eliminate this as a possibility.

[Tweety]

Thanks Egluntyne - I had taken on board what you said in your earlier post and taken action to cover the back of the eglus. I was referring to the back of the cubes and the ventilation holes on the eglu which I hadn't considered as possible points of entry.