What did this!?!

Happyhenz. · **Joined:** Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:49 am **Posts:** 607

Hi all well my morning hjasnt gone so great.
I just went up to let my chooks out of the shed and in the chook pen i found one of my Hy-lines dead :cry:

Her head had been ripped off and she had deep wounds on her chest.

I must have missed her when i locked the girls up last night after we got back from dinner at abot 8.20pm.
Where i found this girl i definatly would have seen her if she had been killed while i was out.

There were hardly any feathers around her and little to no disturbance on the ground in the pen.
We have a very large dog but she cant get into the yard as we have 12ft fences on the outside of the hen house facing into out backyard but on the other side facing our neighbours pool yard is just a normal timber fence about 6ft high.
They dont own adog or cat.

I feel really bad as its my fault for not checking the yard for stragglers before locking up the rest of the crew :cry:

This arvo im putting hubby and mates to work covering the rest of the chook yard with wire including the roof.

Does any one no what it could have been?
My susipions tell me a cat but im not a fan of cats so maybe im bias??

Happyhenz

courta93 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:56 am

Hi, happyhenz. The exact same thing is happening to us! Over the past 2 weeks, we have lost about 10 chooks! Something was coming out during the DAY and killed 2-3 chooks a day! It would kill the three, take one and leave 2, then it would come back the next night and take the other 2 dead ones and kill three more! We did bury the dead chooks, but they would always find them and dig them up!

Like you, our chooks heads were ripped off.

And yesterday, we found a chicken leg up the tree! :-?

We dont know what did that.

We know that whatever killed our chooks was not a cat, baecause there was too much damage to the chooks.

But we think that our cats took the leg up the tree, because the fences are really high, and thay're the only things that I know of that can climb over.

Like I said before, our cats couldn't have done it, because thay're only kittens.

Happyhenz. · **Joined:** Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:49 am **Posts:** 607

I dont know what it was but i feel just awful that i missed her at lock up time. :cry:

Poor little girls depend on us to keep them safe and i stuffed up big time!
When i lock up my chooks tonight i will but my big dog in the pen and see if she catches anything.
If it is a cat, lord help it i can tell you!
Every night same routine chooks back in pen at dark then locked in the shed after dinner.
I should have put them away earlier then i would have seen the poor girl was still out in the yard and put her away.

courta93 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:17 am

Whatever it was that killed our chooks, doesn't like goats, because the day we put our 3 goats in the chook pen, hasn't come back! :-D

Peacocks Australia · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2002 9:14 am **Posts:** 310755

Hi Happyhenz, the most likely suspect would be a Fox, secondary a Cat, either way it's not a pleasant find first thing in the morning.

Courta93, In you case we would say defiantly a Fox, Goats are a great protector and chase off predators, particularly Foxes.

Thanks
Peacocks Australia :lol:

Happyhenz. · **Joined:** Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:49 am **Posts:** 607

I dont think it was a fox as we are in deep suburbia and it would of had to climp/jump over 4 fences to get into our yard at least,
Im still thinking bloody mongrel neighbours cat

Tell ya what if i catch it i can tell you it will be sorry it bothered my chooks

Peacocks Australia · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2002 9:14 am **Posts:** 310755

We don't envy that cat :shock:

!!

Thanks
Peacocks Australia :lol:

frosti · **Joined:** Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:20 am **Posts:** 2

it would be a fox , it doesnt matter where you live. there are more foxes per square km in inner melbourne than country victoria. also i have seen foxes scale back yard paling fences with ease

pete152 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:22 pm

Yes if it has had its head taken off , then the culprit is a fox. Does not matter where you live there will more then likely be foxes.
I have seen them in the middle of Brisbane. They are good climbers as well.
Cheers,
Peter

rdtj04 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:41 pm

We have found out that locally the house dogs are tied up during the day. During the night they are let off to roam. Couple of the neigbours have lost even small dogs because of it. Not impressed. Will be making sure that our animals are always as secure as possible.

Cheers Damaris

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