What killed my hens?

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alani

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What killed my hens and female Call duck?
Iam new to poultry keeping and got four hens and two call ducks end of Dec.
I have a shed with 4 solid walls,one of the walls has a10inch gap at the top along its length.
The shed is in a large grassed area,surrounded by 6ft fence with plastic grill all around the base.
The hens and ducks were in every night as they were last night.I came to let them out and found some inards and wing of a hen on the grass,then in the shed three dead hens.The male duck was alive hiding and the female duck has vanished without a trace,no feathers or anything.I later found the decapitated body of a hen down by the fence some distance away near a small hole in the fence.

Any idea?
Iam thinking stoat,but how did it get the hen out of the shed with the door closed and what happened to the duck?
 
So sorry to hear your bad news, sounds like a fox to me, they are merciless murderers.
I think the 10" gap is plenty of room for a fox to size up the situation and attack and kill the hens, they can really climb and jump, and as long as they can escape they will kill, maim and leave. I've had two flocks wiped out in the last three years or so. Foxes just kill for the sake of it.
Certainly try and fill in the gap if possible.
 
Hi Alani, and welcome to the Forum. I'm very sorry to hear of your losses, it must be devastating, especially as they hadn't been with you for long.
I agree with Val, this is most likely to be a fox. You could keep the ventilation and exclude predators if you fixed strong mesh across the gap at the top of the shed. Also, of course, for extra security during the day when the birds are out, you'll need electric fence round the perimeter of the grass area. Foxes can get over a six foot fence, and they hunt during the day as well as at night, especially in winter when food is scarce, and in the coming breeding season when they have cubs to feed. I'm also afraid that, now he knows about you, he may be back for the surviving drake
 
I have secured everything today,I have also got x5 more hens.Their housing is solid now.But Iam worried about them being out at day after what you have said.
Will I need to get another duck,or are they ok by themselves?
 
Yes it would be good to get him a companion. A drake will be happy with another drake, or with a duck. Just avoid having more than one drake with the duck as they will fight. And I would wait until you're more happy about security before adding any more to the flock.
It would be sad if the fox came back and got your new birds, but I'm afraid that he is likely to have another go if they're a soft target in daytime. Your setup sounds lovely, with a good house and grass, but they're not going to be safe unless either you instal electric fencing round the grass area, or you erect a secure weldmesh run with a roof, secured round the edges to prevent foxes digging under, for them to use during the day.
This article on Poultrykeeper may help you.

http://poultrykeeper.com/pests-and-predators/foxes-chickens
 
It sounds a bit gloomy unless I get an electric fence sorted.
Iam not good at estimating the garden size,but it is very big,so maybe you might suggest I put them in a moveable run with electric?
 
Hi Alani.
So sorry to hear about your flock- how upsetting :-((
Are you in the UK? I suspect we're all thinking foxes on the assumption that you are, but if you're elsewhere, there could be other predators at large...

The safest option when letting your flock out to free range is to be outside with them, though I appreciate that this isn't always practical. Certainly in the spring & early summer, if I can't be outside with my girls, they have to stay in the safety of their run, to keep them off the foxes' menu :|
As far as the coop is concerned, it sounds as though you need some strong wire mesh over the ventilation gap.
 
To update,
All the birds are safe and well this very cold and frosty morning.Mr Fox had to eat elsewhere.
I will not let my guard down though and am planning further measures.
Apart from electric,are the other deterants any use,sonic,water scent?
Cheers from Yorkshire ,UK.
 
alani said:
It sounds a bit gloomy unless I get an electric fence sorted.
Iam not good at estimating the garden size,but it is very big,so maybe you might suggest I put them in a moveable run with electric?
Click to expand...

I'm glad they're safe so far, Alani. You couldn't make a moveable run which would be big enough for 5 hens and the ducks - we recommend a minimum run size of 2 sq. metres per bird if they are to be kept confined for any length of time regularly. Additionally, the ducks really need a separate run, if you go down that route, they are very messy and need more space than hens, also at least a container of water to dabble their heads in, which makes the ground muddy when you top it out to change it. Also they need different food from chickens. Maybe you might even think of rehoming the remaining duck, and then thinking again about ducks' needs after you've got the hens sorted?
If you made a secure walk-in run for that number of hens, it would need to be at least ten sq. metres, and if covered with Weldmesh on the sides and top, it would be safe without the need for electric fence. You woukd need to either bury the mesh along the base to prevent digging in, or line the floor with mesh and fix this to the sides all round, to make a mesh box. I've done this and its very secure. I used 1/2" mesh which also is too small for mice or rats to get in, and a fox couldn't get his teeth into it either.
My 6 hens are perfectly happy in their run, which has a covered roof so it doesn't get muddy and the feed and dustbath stays dry, not to speak of the hens. If hens go to bed with wet feathers it makes a lot if condensation in the coop, not good for them. The floor is lined with permeable membrane with lots of nice deep Aubiose (shredded hemp) on top for them to dig in and is is also easy to poo pick to keep everything clean. Keeping them in there over winter saves the grass from destruction and I let them out for an hour or two to the grass when I think it's OK to do so. Going fully free range is great, if they're protected, and if you have enough grass to sustain it over the winter when things get very muddy, but for many keepers it's just not possible for a variety of reasons.
 
From personal experience I've discovered nothing deters a determined fox, unless you can exclude him physically completely which is very difficult.
My latest deterrent is block paving lining both the inner and outer sides of the run, I'm not sure he can dig them out, in my case he seems to give up when confronted with them, so I keep them coming!
 
What kind of dogs don't mix with poultry?
Iam considering getting a Rough Haired Jack Russell.
Any thoughts?
 
I won't suggest a lurcher, ours is fine but I've had ones that definitely wouldn't be. Raised from a pup with chickens any dog would probably consider them family. A retriever maybe?
 
It all depends on the training, but terriers have a very strong prey drive and are difficult to train to ignore small, moving, flapping, clucking hens. Of course there's no reason not to get a JR, - just keep him on the lead when near to free ranging hens, or just leave him outside the field altogether. It would be fairly easy to get him to watch them quietly when you are with him, reminding him and rewarding good behaviour - but it's a long step from that, to being fully trustworthy with loose hens under all circumstances, and a JR could easily chase and kill hens.
 
Gives me something to think about.

All the hens are settling in and the Drake seems happy.A local bloke is selling me two call ducks to go with the Drake,he seems to think two ducks would be better than one,as he says "they are always at it".
 
One of our friends has a Labrador which is always trying to "fetch" the chickens. She has had dog training when she was a puppy but generally follows commands only as long as you look her in the eye. She would stress the chickens out quite a lot if allowed to, but wouldn't physically hurt them.

Another of our friends has a German Shepherd (or a very similar cross) which is completely fine with the chickens and can be left to free range with them.
 
The other possibility is a Mink, most likely if you are near water Alani. Two ducks is a minimum I think, having read last week of a Drake treading just one to death.
 
With a drake and two ducks,will I be overrun with eggs/chicks?
(Iam some distance from neighbours)
 
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