All my chickens are gone

[seedcorn]

From her picture, it looks like you can make out claw imprints. As a owner of bantams, everything seems to be able (and has desire to) kill them from hawks to coyottes.

 

[ksacres]

Did you find out what it was? It looks like a large dog print to me. Coyotes are generally pretty small/scraggly.

Hope everything is working out for you.

 

[thistlebloom]

Did you find out what it was? It looks like a large dog print to me. Coyotes are generally pretty small/scraggly.

Hope everything is working out for you.

Generally coyotes get larger the farther north you go. Since Jojo is in Canada her coyotes could be very large!
By coyote standards I mean.

 

[ksacres]

I have seen coyotes in Indiana and in Wyoming. They were all very small, like underfed labradors in size.

Does that mean that if I see them here in Texas they will look more like chihauhaus???





I thought they had wolves in Canada?? Wouldn't that be more likely for that size paw print?

 

[thistlebloom]

There's wolves now in a lot of northern states also. We have friends 10 miles north of us who have sighted wolves on their property. It's a consensus in the neighborhood, a lot of sightings have been verified. We keep a shooter handy.

Oh, and by large I mean 50 pounds, which isn't a huge dog size, but a guy here in the panhandle has gotten a few 60 pounders and there's a picture of a 70 pounder that was taken somewhere northern, but I don't remember which state.

 

[ksacres]

When we were in Wyoming, we kept a .22 by the back door. Coyotes were a problem, but even more than that, the foxes always came up to raid, and they were bold as brass. They'd walk right in and take what they wanted. I lost a lot of ducks, chickens, and even some geese to foxes. The coyotes were never as bold (that we saw, anyway).

I never actually aimed at them, although if my dh was home, he would, and he hit a few. I just wanted them to go away.

 

[ksacres]

Wow, that's really big for coyotes!! Most of the ones I've ever seen probably fall in the forty pound range. Seventy pounds is HUGE for a coyote!!

 

[jojo54]

Did you find out what it was? It looks like a large dog print to me. Coyotes are generally pretty small/scraggly.

Hope everything is working out for you.

We still don't know for sure but are leaning toward dog. For the week or so after the attack, there were new tracks in the yard every morning and they had claws. From talking to the neighbours, etc someone is probably letting their dogs loose at night but I haven't seen them. I was gone for three weeks after it happened and haven't seen new tracks since I came back. I am still nervous when Lulu, my lame part-time house chicken is out. I usually stay out with her because I would be devastated if I lost her.

 

[ksacres]

We still don't know for sure but are leaning toward dog. For the week or so after the attack, there were new tracks in the yard every morning and they had claws. From talking to the neighbours, etc someone is probably letting their dogs loose at night but I haven't seen them. I was gone for three weeks after it happened and haven't seen new tracks since I came back. I am still nervous when Lulu, my lame part-time house chicken is out. I usually stay out with her because I would be devastated if I lost her.

That's too bad. Are you planning to get more chickies??

 

[jojo54]

Probably not for a year or so until we can get everything more secure for them. Need to build taller fence to run and redo one part of the coop. I really miss them but won't endanger them so I'm playing the waiting game with onlu Lulu to amuse me.