Missing Chick

[RHodgson]

Well, what's the verdict? What did you find on the trail cam?

 

[wamplercathy]

I have a trap, one that just enclosed
It and doesn't hurt it, but we will shoot whatever it is, I don't plan on relocating it. Can I put a dead bird in it and stick it back in their pen? Or will the predator know they are gone and move to the bigger live ones? I ask because we have a lot of cats around. They have been here forever and I do not suspect them to have gotten in the chicks pen, but I also don't want them caught in the trap!

If it's a big hav-a-hart trap, it won't work for foxes, if that's what it is. You might catch a young, small, dumb one. But any adult foxes will smell it coming.

CATS. I guaran-damn-tee it's the cats. I'll bet you it's a cat. Where there are cats, there are dead chicks. Every time.

Put your live trap out with a dead bird in it = catch a coon or a possum. Foxes aren't too keen on carrion when there's fresh meat around. Stick a can of sardines in oil in the back of the trap. That's a new stink and they'll love it.

I will put money on it being a cat.

We've got a tom cat but he never messes with the chickens. He'll get in the coop catch mice and then leave. I've always thought is was odd because he loves chicken.

 

[Homer]

We've got a tom cat but he never messes with the chickens. He'll get in the coop catch mice and then leave. I've always thought is was odd because he loves chicken.

I have a Tom that sleeps with the rabbits as well as the ducks. Guess it just depends on the animal and how they're raised. :yes:

 

[macksmom98]

The trail cam is malfunctioning so we STILL don't know. I still put out some marshmallows in the trap and they were all still there, but the gate was down. I am hoping it's not a coon because I am worried they wold get to the rabbits next, but so far so good! We have several stray cats that do hang around, but they have been around forever. So I don't think it would be them.

 

[Homer]

If you think it's a coon use Froot Loops for bait. Sounds crazy but they really do work better than marsh mellows. :shock: Of course you can always get'm the old fashioned way. A dark hiding spot, a six pack and a shotgun. Oops the redneck in me just came out.

 

[RHodgson]

My suggestion is to get rid of the marshmallows and replace with a tin of sardines. The idea of bait is stink. You want them to come in to see what it is.

Update when you finally catch the danged thing!

 

[macksmom98]

I read that because they are white, raccoons are attracted to them. But they were still there do sardines will go in tonight!

 

[wamplercathy]

If it is a raccoon then wet cat food works best. Wire the can to the back of the cage. If you don't they'll grab it and leave, never triggering the trap. But of course it depends on how old the raccoon is and if they have ever be trapped before. I've had best luck when I wrap the trap in a tarp, leaving the door area uncovered. Also good in case you bag a skunk. :x :lol: :lol:

 

[macksmom98]

So far caught 2 cats in the trap and the trail cam is working but has only managed to catch me! I don't think it's a coon tho. The chicken and rabbit food bins have been left I disturbed and the marshmellows I put out were still there. Whatever it was didn't mind eating a chick that died 2 days prior. And one of the cats wouldn't likely kill an adult hen would it? I won't quit til we get some kind of an answer, and the remaining chickens are still spending night in the garage. Going to try and place the trap in the big chickens coop, and see if the cats will stay out of it!

 

[RHodgson]

Could be an opossum. They like carrion quite a bit. One of the cats would kill an adult hen. They kill everything, obnoxious little nuisances.

Push comes to shove, put a live chick/chicken in a smaller cage, inside the live trap. Just know that there's a chance it won't survive the encounter.

That's the most frustrating thing - knowing there's a problem and not being able to fix it.

Honestly, at this point you could just improve the run/wherever the predator is coming in by burying hardware cloth 8-10" along the sides. If it can't get in, they can't get eaten, regardless of whether or not it's still alive.

Good luck!

 

[imajpm]

Honestly, at this point you could just improve the run/wherever the predator is coming in by burying hardware cloth 8-10" along the sides. If it can't get in, they can't get eaten, regardless of whether or not it's still alive.

Good luck!

Definitely! We buried an apron of wire around our chicken yard, just a few inches deep, and nothing has managed to get in yet, oh except for the owl who came in through the chicken door and killed a hen. Up went the aerial netting the next day and no more losses of any kind. I might add that owl did a fly by while I was netting the yard, in broad daylight! It hung around for a week then finally gave up. They do keep coming back if they have success

 

[RHodgson]

Definitely! We buried an apron of wire around our chicken yard, just a few inches deep, and nothing has managed to get in yet, oh except for the owl who came in through the chicken door and killed a hen. Up went the aerial netting the next day and no more losses of any kind. I might add that owl did a fly by while I was netting the yard, in broad daylight! It hung around for a week then finally gave up. They do keep coming back if they have success

My "favorite" predator attack so far has been the pair of nesting Bald Eagles across the woods. One swooped down last fall and killed a buff in my front yard.

The heck am I supposed to do about that?

 

[imajpm]

Oh man lol. Wave good bye to your chicken then import a flock of ravens. We had a predator killed deer out in the pasture and the ravens chased the Bald Eagles right into our yard so hmm, perhaps ravens might not be the answer.

 

[macksmom98]

Saw a fox run off when we pulled up tonight.......wondering now if he's the culprit. Came back from an early Thanksgiving dinner after dark, and saw him run under the trailer. Immediately checked the 2 remaining hens and put them in for the evening, but they are ok

 

[RHodgson]

If you saw a fox, it's definitely a fox. Do you know anyone who (at least as a strong hobby) hunts or traps predators? The problem with foxes is that they're so dang smart. If you miss them once, they'll learn and never make that mistake again.

You might catch it in a live trap if it's really young or really starving. Otherwise, it's not happening. Your best bet is to bait it and shoot it, or get someone who does this on a regular basis to trap it and kill it.

Good luck - foxes are hard to deal with!

 

[macksmom98]

I have a husband who loves to stalk and hunt. Not sure if it's quite the same in the backyard, but I think he will do it. In town tho so we have to use bb's or something that won't alert the neighbors and is safe. Don't think the suppressor will cut it-maybe tho.....

 

[RHodgson]

Suppressor on a .22 with sub-sonic rounds. Super-d-duper quiet in town. Not that I would do that, it would be illegal. But hypothetically, had I lived in town at one point with a fox problem, that's what I would have considered doing. Or a really powerful pellet gun.

Either one works. But the .22 with suppressor and quiet rounds gets points for being cooler.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Suppressor on a .22 with sub-sonic rounds. Super-d-duper quiet in town. Not that I would do that, it would be illegal. But hypothetically, had I lived in town at one point with a fox problem, that's what I would have considered doing. Or a really powerful pellet gun.

Either one works. But the .22 with suppressor and quiet rounds gets points for being cooler.

Should their be a winkey smiley in there somewhere? :lol:

 

[macksmom98]

Leaving for Thanksgiving soon so we have friends coming to care for the animals and let the chickens in and out of their crate in the garage. But if I can bait it, what's the best bait? Still sardines?

 

[RHodgson]

Foxes need more finesse than that. They only respond to traps set well. They will only go into a live trap if they are young, dumb, or starving. A really well set - hole set baited foot trap is about the only way I've been able to capture foxes. You'll see online about folks who can get them in live-traps. Maybe I'm just not that good, but I can never convince mine to go into a cage.

See, they smell the metal and get wary. And again, foxes are really, really smart. Smarter than you and I are. Sly like a fox is a saying for a reason.

THE NEXT PART MAY BE ILLEGAL WHERE YOU LIVE, CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS.

Set a chicken out with water during the day in a live trap. It will be distressed, it will make noise, it will be awful. It will draw that fox in. Then you shoot it.

It works, but it's probably illegal.