# What got my chicks?



## luvmypets (Oct 26, 2016)

A few weeks ago one of our chicks disappeared. The four of them would often adventure far outside their pen so after thorough looking we came to the conclusion the chick had stayed out and got taken. I wasn't to concerned until today.. When we first walked into the barn the grain bin was tipped over and empty, my dad blamed it on our fat rooster roaster, but to me that didn't sit right. Out of all the chicks Jigsaw was the Houdini of the bunch. So when I walked into the barn and he hadn't  escaped it was an immediate red flag. Then I saw him under a nest box dead. It was upsetting but it happens, then my panic rose as I realized that none of the chicks were by their mother(Cirra). I then spotted sweet potato dead in the center of the stall. I let the other chickens out and then investigated the damage. Fedora was missing and sweet potato was headless .I moved over the jigsaw who had no visible wounds and I slowly picked her up. I thought she was dead but she let of a couple peeps. She was already too far gone at that point, her head was already craning back. She died about an hour later. We have also noticed fewer eggs, even during moulting we get a few eggs. I'm pretty upset and I'm normally not fazed by chicken deaths. My initial culprit is rats. We had problems with them with our first chickens, but that was five years ago, and we haven't had problems since. Is this something I need to worry about with my other animals? I know whatever it was will come back as it knows there is a steady food supply.


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## luvmypets (Oct 26, 2016)

I have no idea why this posted four times


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## NH homesteader (Oct 26, 2016)

Well rats wouldn't tip over a grain bin! Did the one you found dead have visible injuries? 

So sorry about your chicks


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## babsbag (Oct 26, 2016)

So sorry about your chicks, I had a broody loose 4 just a short time ago too   With the head gone my guess would be raccoon.  I would get a live trap and remove him. Life is too short to mess with predators for the long haul.


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## Green Acres Farm (Oct 26, 2016)

I'm sorry.

I know you loved those chicks.


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## luvmypets (Oct 26, 2016)

Its so annoying. Im wondering if it was weasals? We had problems a few years ago when they killed half my ducks. One of them was headless, but she was a big duck not a itty chick. I still think it is rats. For starters the grain been was barely full. And the chicks were small, like I could still hold them in a single hand. We found a hole at the edge of the stall.. Its pretty big.


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## luvmypets (Oct 26, 2016)

NH homesteader said:


> Well rats wouldn't tip over a grain bin! Did the one you found dead have visible injuries?
> 
> So sorry about your chicks


Jigsaw had no cuts, bites, visible broken bones, blood.. Anything. She was just dying, sweet potato was headless, but the body was untouched. 
The other two just disapeared.


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## babsbag (Oct 26, 2016)

Weasels will do it too, so will opossums, skunks, and owls. Chickens are an easy target.


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## greybeard (Oct 26, 2016)

You may have had a case of multiple species in your pen.
Minks and weasels generally kill for sport, same as a dog does. Rarely eat anything.
Rats and coons eat the heads--fewer feathers to mess with.
Snakes just come and leave, having swallowed chicks whole--appearing that the chicks just vanished. 
If you find chick with no apparent injuries but dead, odds are it was suffocated by other chicks on top of it in a corner, or squeezed to death under or between something trying to escape.


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## Latestarter (Oct 27, 2016)

I went ahead and deleted the duplicate posts for you. Sorry you lost the chicks. No idea of the culprit but there are several possibilities. I wouldn't think rats as they would have plenty of food on the ground that they probably wouldn't mess with the chicks. Hope you solve the mystery and get the culprit.


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## babsbag (Oct 27, 2016)

I have had rats in my coop, they even started a fire and burnt it down for me, but they have never bothered the chicks. I have heard of them eating toes off of roosting chickens though.


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## luvmypets (Oct 27, 2016)

Thanks @Latestarter for taking care of the multiple postings.

I'm thinking it may have been weasals. Two years ago a neighbor dumped a huge amount of grass clippings onto the back of their property which borders ours. We were getting fed up with how messy the ducks were as we had 17, so we put them out overnight. They were fine for the first few nights but then one day when we went to check on them 4-5 of them got
Killed. It was awful, and of course they had to kill my blue swedish girls. Anyways one drake was missing, all we found was his head, and a bit of flesh from his breast. One of my blues had her whole head gone down to the end of the neck. Then by the gate of the pen, two ducks were dead drained of blood flattened like pancakes. They had no visible wounds they were just dead. At the time we had a manure pile next to the chicken run so we assumed rats. However it turned out the weasals were nesting in the grass clippings.


However, when we had our rat problem with our first chickens, they killed a few month old silkie chick the same way. We found her headless.

I just realized, the stall with the hole was connected directly to the outside, however the chicks were in the next stall over.. So whatever it was had to get directly through a small few inch slot. Either that or scale the wall or go under.


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## farmerjan (Oct 27, 2016)

Weasels or minks can get through the slats in that stall and can climb over too.  Coons can go over or under and any of them will kill for sport as well as for eating.  They need to be put in a smaller, completely closed in coop at night for whatever you have left and start setting traps.


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## luvmypets (Oct 27, 2016)

farmerjan said:


> Weasels or minks can get through the slats in that stall and can climb over too.  Coons can go over or under and any of them will kill for sport as well as for eating.  They need to be put in a smaller, completely closed in coop at night for whatever you have left and start setting traps.


They are in a barn at night, we haven't had problems in years. Did some more research and weasals are looking far more likely.


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 27, 2016)

Ya might wanto set up a game camera to get some pics of the goings on....doesn't help with the 'Protecting' but does answer many questions....reveals access, identity, and method of Attack....when ya know for Sure the culprit...the 'Plan of Attack' can be more successful for ya.


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## Bruce (Oct 27, 2016)

REALLY sorry your birds were killed. Had a coon kill one and it was devastating, especially since I am equally at fault because she wasn't in the predator proof coop. 

I agree with a lot of what people said 

Could be multiple predator types given the descriptions. Jigsaw may have suffered blunt trauma trying to escape.

Yes on the game camera. It would be nice to know what all is coming in your coop area. I have rats at the moment, they steal the plastic eggs from the nests that are not in the coop (wrapped in 2x4 welded wire and 1/2" hardware cloth, not even a stoat can get in there). I set out the game camera and the rats come by several times a night. I know there are at least 3 having seen a male, female and juvenile (with the female). They usually stand up and look in the nest (bins are on the floor) and sometimes go in. I've stopped putting plastic eggs in them though, don't need to keep losing them.

One video started with whiskers RIGHT in the camera. Thought it was a rat but it was the neighbor across the road's cat. He has always come by in the winter, we see the daily paw prints, but until I got the alpacas 2 weeks ago, there were no open doors into the barn. I was hoping he would continue to come in and maybe snag a rat or 10 but I've not seen him on the camera again.

I had woodchucks this summer (before I had the camera). I expect they will be back in the spring, always are. BUT, I should be getting a 14 month old GP in a few weeks so those chucks will move or die. Either is fine by me.


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## babsbag (Oct 27, 2016)

Bruce said:


> BUT, I should be getting a 14 month old GP in a few weeks


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## luvmypets (Oct 27, 2016)

babsbag said:


>


X2 Im jealous !


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## babsbag (Oct 27, 2016)

I always felt the my goats were pretty safe with a 4' no climb fence with hot wire top and bottom, inside and out. But I wanted a dog and finally talked my husband into letting me get two, he thought that one living in the barn was cruel, we raise everything in pairs around here. I am home all week alone and before my dogs I was hesitant to go out at night, hated being in the barn at night, and basically had to be home before dark to get chores done.  Kidding season terrified me. Now with the dogs I come and go whenever and have no qualms about going to the barn at 2:00 AM. My goats might not have needed the dogs but I sure did, it changed my life drastically for the better and I will never be without LGDs again.  I feel totally safe with them on duty.

Now I need one for my chickens, and DH agrees.


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## TAH (Oct 27, 2016)

luvmypets said:


> X2 Im jealous !


x3


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## luvmypets (Oct 27, 2016)

After more discussing we believe we have rats. We are going to bait for them, and set up traps.


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 27, 2016)

babsbag said:


> Now I need one for my chickens, and DH agrees.


Soooooo, does that mean you're gonna be looking at those Neopolitan/Pyr pups?????


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## babsbag (Oct 27, 2016)

So why is everyone tempting me like this?


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 27, 2016)

It's what we do, lol!   So, should we take up the collection for a female pup and put you in charge?        I just love the look of those pups!


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## NH homesteader (Oct 27, 2016)

They are so so cute! And huge! 

Good luck trapping  the rats.  We've had rat issues and keep setting traps they avoid.  My husband baits and shoots them. We need to set more traps though just in case. They've never gone after our egg layers but they did a number on our meat birds this year.. 
I HATE RATS!


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 27, 2016)

Ditto that!


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## babsbag (Oct 27, 2016)

I use these traps with Peanut Butter or squeeze cheese and even goat grain. 

http://store.tomcatbrand.com/rats/t...ing_DO_DTC&s_kwcid=AL!4676!3!144810445658!!!g!!

I like that I can set it, empty it, and reuse it without fear of getting my fingers in it.


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## Bruce (Oct 27, 2016)

I got a couple of snap traps, haven't set them out yet. Rats are very suspicious critters. The suggestion is to put them out with bait but DON'T set them for several days until the rats are confident they are just part of the scenery. Rats also tend to follow walls and their "known" paths so if you do have a game camera, maybe you can figure out where those are so you know where to put the traps. 

GOOD LUCK!!!


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## Latestarter (Oct 28, 2016)

OK @Bruce! Becoming a regular animal hoarder aren't you? First alpacas and now a 14 month old GP?! Congrats! Details man... we need DETAILS! Oh, and pics too once you have some   Sorry to steal the thread @luvmypets but I figure somebody better ask before we forget... most (some?) of us are getting old after all   BTW, meant to say I really like your new avatar! Great pic!


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## luvmypets (Oct 28, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> OK @Bruce! Becoming a regular animal hoarder aren't you? First alpacas and now a 14 month old GP?! Congrats! Details man... we need DETAILS! Oh, and pics too once you have some   Sorry to steal the thread @luvmypets but I figure somebody better ask before we forget... most (some?) of us are getting old after all   BTW, meant to say I really like your new avatar! Great pic!


Its fine! I don't mind, and yes we need details!


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 28, 2016)

One thing I have learned about rats....if ya don't get the Nest you are fighting a Losing battle....ya gotta track em down and Obliderate the 'Source'....or, have animals that Do...I Hate them too!!....and can't Sleep til I get rid of them...though the Cats keep the populations down...along with the snakes around here....we have used the Lids of cans to plug holes...along with a course steel wool....Good Hunting!!


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## luvmypets (Oct 30, 2016)

Found Fedora's remains in the stall. Same damage as Sweet Potato. 



 
This means whatever it was probably came back but gave up.


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 30, 2016)

Boy!...sure do Hate that for ya...do not mean to upset you about this...but, are there visible bite marks?....was head chewed off?....and are feathers wet against the body, or defeathered?....with the wings left dry...are there any visible signs of struggle in the area?....if ya don't feel like responding....I totally understand....just trying to Help ya.


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## luvmypets (Oct 30, 2016)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Boy!...sure do Hate that for ya...do not mean to upset you about this...but, are there visible bite marks?....was head chewed off?....and are feathers wet against the body, or defeathered?....with the wings left dry...are there any visible signs of struggle in the area?....if ya don't feel like responding....I totally understand....just trying to Help ya.


They were so little, no visible bite marks, just no heads. Happened to two of the chicks and one disappeared. The one had feathers, this one didnt, but this was a few days later. Except for wings which as you can see were left intact.


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 30, 2016)

My best guess is a Rat....since they were so small....a bigger animal would've consumed it or played with it...I think they are about $50-60 at WallyWorld...but a game camera would be a good addition to your Security plan....sorry again for your Losses!!


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## Bruce (Oct 30, 2016)

Don't buy the $60 game cam at Wallyworld, I did the day the coon killed Fae. The StealthCam was the only one they had because this was in the summer, lots of people buy them for deer hunting season. Terrible night distance. No light in the barn unless a full moon happens to be shining through a window. I did see some rats in the pictures/videos but the camera was maybe 10' from the trap and I couldn't see anything past maybe 15'. Returned it and got a Browning Strike Force from Amazon for just over $100. Much better night distance. Seems a little slow to trigger. I have been using it in video mode and sometimes I have a video with nothing in it and sometimes I see a rat that could only have come in from the direction the camera was facing but the rat was already a few feet into the area.


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