AllenK RGV
Chicken Addict
I have a bachelor pad that I have been using as a grow out pen and lately chicks are coming up missing. The first to disappear was a group of 5 2 week old Black Sumatra LF's. All gone in one night and without a trace. Our list of suspects were:
1) escaped enclosure and killed by neighbor dogs(so we filled in some chick accessable gaps).
2) human as a neighbor's brother had admired our Sumatra previously. Since then we keep all property gates locked.
3) Snake, but c'mon 5 2 weekers in 1 night?
4) Possum as we leave the entrance to the Main Sumatra Roost open so they enter/exit of their own free will mornings and evenings. There is a possum sized entrance between the two coop areas. However, I would expect a mess and headless chicks from a possum and or raccoon.
5) A cat but unless it were feral with kits I wouldn't expect 5 dead in one night and were it a fed neighbor cat dead trophys laying about.
6) Raccoon highly improbable but possible too, but once again no mess or injuries to my LF's.
Fast forward to one week later and my nastiest, meanest man hating when broody/brooding hen hatched out a clutch of two chicks and her porch brooding antics needed to see her relocated to the bachelor pad.
The first two nights were uneventful except for her charging me as I top off food and water. Her new digs have a 6 foot tall enclosed 50x75' 1x4" welded wire outer fence, contained within and on 2 sides abutting a 6' chain link fence. Next layer of defense is just a 2'x50' inner run for just her and the chicks with chicken wire to contain the chicks. There are two potential ingress/egress points in the coop itself and they are 2x4"sized gaps at the roof line connecting the bachelor pad to the main Sumatra roost section that I have left open for additional ventilation, and 1x4" welded wire over an adjoining section from the bachelor to main pen for a predator to get through. The front door faces a 30w compact florescent light that comes on at night so my chicken have some night vision.
For pictures of that coop please click here.
We had expected no further issues with a nasty intolerant hen guarding those two chicks. Unfortunately, last night 1 chick went MIA and without a trace, momma hen is uninjured and all appears well. Tonight I have no plans on relocating them but am going to add interior lighting with a flashlight set to low inside the bachelor digs side of her coop is our plan so momma can mount a better defense if that is the case.
Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. I'm considering adding in HC at the roof line eaves if we lose the last chick. Also I am thinking at this point I need to turn the potential predator ingress/egress points into a muddy mess so I can collect more data/tracks/prints on what may be entering that coop.
1) escaped enclosure and killed by neighbor dogs(so we filled in some chick accessable gaps).
2) human as a neighbor's brother had admired our Sumatra previously. Since then we keep all property gates locked.
3) Snake, but c'mon 5 2 weekers in 1 night?
4) Possum as we leave the entrance to the Main Sumatra Roost open so they enter/exit of their own free will mornings and evenings. There is a possum sized entrance between the two coop areas. However, I would expect a mess and headless chicks from a possum and or raccoon.
5) A cat but unless it were feral with kits I wouldn't expect 5 dead in one night and were it a fed neighbor cat dead trophys laying about.
6) Raccoon highly improbable but possible too, but once again no mess or injuries to my LF's.
Fast forward to one week later and my nastiest, meanest man hating when broody/brooding hen hatched out a clutch of two chicks and her porch brooding antics needed to see her relocated to the bachelor pad.
The first two nights were uneventful except for her charging me as I top off food and water. Her new digs have a 6 foot tall enclosed 50x75' 1x4" welded wire outer fence, contained within and on 2 sides abutting a 6' chain link fence. Next layer of defense is just a 2'x50' inner run for just her and the chicks with chicken wire to contain the chicks. There are two potential ingress/egress points in the coop itself and they are 2x4"sized gaps at the roof line connecting the bachelor pad to the main Sumatra roost section that I have left open for additional ventilation, and 1x4" welded wire over an adjoining section from the bachelor to main pen for a predator to get through. The front door faces a 30w compact florescent light that comes on at night so my chicken have some night vision.
For pictures of that coop please click here.
We had expected no further issues with a nasty intolerant hen guarding those two chicks. Unfortunately, last night 1 chick went MIA and without a trace, momma hen is uninjured and all appears well. Tonight I have no plans on relocating them but am going to add interior lighting with a flashlight set to low inside the bachelor digs side of her coop is our plan so momma can mount a better defense if that is the case.
Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. I'm considering adding in HC at the roof line eaves if we lose the last chick. Also I am thinking at this point I need to turn the potential predator ingress/egress points into a muddy mess so I can collect more data/tracks/prints on what may be entering that coop.
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