Chicken bald back

[Sandychick]

This morning I found that Milly was missing and a big heap of her feathers outside the run. The run is now OTT fox proof and there is no sign of any damage at all. Basically there is no way Milly could have got out and no way anything could have got in either. There was also no disturbance in the run and not one of Milly's feathers to be seen in there - this suggests there was no panic or attack in there. There is no doubt that she was in the run last night.

 

Anyone have any ideas?? My only explanation is that it was a human attacker ( doesn't make much sense either though)

 

Last week I had 4 lovely hens. Jemima was PTS at the vets a few days ago, now I've lost Milly. Not having a happy chicken time.

[gavclojak]

OMG that is horrific. must be the worst not knowing so you can then at least try to stop another attack. how are the remaining girls? Oh poor you, this is my biggest fear

[jimnpaula]

So very sorry to hear this, and it does sound very strange indeed. Could she have been lifted out through the roof by something? Why would a human attacker leave a pile of feathers? Very odd, plenty of questions but no answers must be awful for you.

[mimi5]

Oh dear!! Sorry ........what a mystery??? I had a bad run earlier this year with chicken loses, Horrid!!

 

Could somebody else have accidently let her out last night?? The pile of feathers sounds just like a fox attack??

 

Let us know if you figure anything out.

[Sandychick]

Thanks. She definitely wasn't let out last night - there is only me living here and I didn't let them out at all yesterday. I checked them just before they went off to bed, and all were there and ok. The door was bolted shut this morning too. The roof is solid and tiled so no possibility there either. I've seen the devastation that a fox leaves a couple of times and this just has no resemblance to that. The feathers are in neat piles - one tail and wing feathers, and another heap of the rest. I'll have another look when I get back from work to see if there are any other clues to what happened.

 

Molly and Matilda seemed no different to usual this morning. I'm just worried about them tonight. It's awful not knowing how it could possibly have happened. I'm also looking at getting a camera to put up in the tree.

 

It looks very sad with just 2 hens left

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That's horrible, not knowing what actually happened. If you're positive she was in the run, it can only have been a human . I'm so sorry .

[Lavenders_Blue]

Oh goodness, that sounds horrific. Is there any way you can padlock your run at night to be sure no two legged foxes can get in?

[redsunset]

Awful to think that a person would do such a thing? Surely not but as you are fox proof can think of no other explanation, and all I can say is pity help the person who did that to one of my girls if I caught him/her........

[Sandychick]

I've now fitted a hasp and staple & lock to the WIR, padlocked the eglu run, and locked the side gate into the back garden as well. My neighbor called round this evening. Milly was in his garden and it looks very much like she was thrown over the fence next to the run. There are no signs of any wounds on her either. It all adds up to something even more sinister than a fox

[redsunset]

So sorry, as that sounds just horrible trying to imagine someone doing that to a poor wee innocent chicken. What's wrong with people if they think that is funny? Could it be bored teens thinking it was a lark? If so, I fear for their future if they could do such a thing......terrible that you have to go to the extremes of locks everywhere as well, but what alternative is there? Poor wee Milly. So sorry.

[maximum_999]

It is always good to increase security for your peace of mind, if it were human activity it would be quite unusual to break in, steal a chicken, then start to remove feathers at the crime scene, the risk of getting caught is high.

Our experience with foxes and other predators is,that they are extremely tenacious and will find a way through what we think is a secure fence.

Have you checked your mesh to see if the wire has been pulled and sprung back, could the entrance have been forced by an animal? It would be worth examining at fingertip level the run and coop to see if there is anywhere at all that a fox could push through

One way to see if it was human that caused the death would be to check the chicken's neck to see if it has been broken, sorry to,sound a bit gruesome but it may help establish some facts.

[Sandychick]

Our experience with foxes and other predators is,that they are extremely tenacious and will find a way through what we think is a secure fence.

Have you checked your mesh to see if the wire has been pulled and sprung back, could the entrance have been forced by an animal? It would be worth examining at fingertip level the run and coop to see if there is anywhere at all that a fox could push through

 

I've had 2 fox attacks, one in December and another in April - I lost all my hens both times. After that, I have made the run as foxproof as humanly possible - there is absolutely no way a fox could have got in or out. I have checked the run over and over again today, and there is no damage at all, all mesh is perfectly intact.

[mollyripkim]

What an awful thing to happen, and worrying to think there may have been someone in your garden.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Oh that really is awful Some people are just despicable.

[pavo121]

That sounds awful and to me a human attack. Just terrible.

[chickanne]

Sorry to hear about this. Have you got a techno-friend who could set up surveillance?

 

Low tech solution might be some little bells suspended u"Ooops, word censored!"trusively and a sign saying "Smile - you're on Candid Camera"? Might be enough to make a 2-legged intruder nervous?

[Sandychick]

Molly and Matilda are both safe and well this morning. I'm sure they slept better than I did

 

Sorry to hear about this. Have you got a techno-friend who could set up surveillance?

 

I've just ordered one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261260927474?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 I'll leave it set up at night. Hope I don't get a re-occurrence of whatever happened, but at least I'll have an answer if it does. Should get some cute hedgehog pictures anyway which will cheer me up

[Patricia W]

Is it worth alerting the police if you think it was human intervention?