I went out around 8am to get some firewood and check on the chickens. Even before I got close to the coop I knew something was wrong. Two chickens were tangled in the net-fencing and they were not moving. Inside the coop there was another dead hen. Our rooster was missing, there were some black feathers near the fence, but I couldn't find his body. It's normal to lose a rooster when a predator attacks. Roosters will fight to the death to protect their flock. We probably would have lost more if he hadn't fought back.
We did a little research and all signs pointed to this being a raccoon attack. Raccoons tend to kill several chickens at a time, but not eat any, because they are jerks. They will take the heads or legs - and one of the hens was missing it's head. (Which is why this post doesn't have any pictures.)
When Farmer John went with me to inspect the scene of the crime we did find the rooster. He was 30 feet away from the coop and outside the fence in the hayfield. We spent the rest of the morning securing the floor and sides of the coop.
We also did some work on the fence. Farmer John fixed the connections and made sure it was getting a good charge. When he did his final check on the flock that night the fence was putting out 6500 volts - or "enough to make steam come out a 'coon's ears!"
The coop and flock have been moved to their winter area. The fence is hooked up and working at full power. We had some help with that, so stay tuned.
Reminds me very much of Nickle Creek's version of "The Fox." Perhaps Cal has some night vision hunting/motion detecting cameras you could borrow to capture the coon - before he becomes red-handed again. Or how about baby monitors that let you hear a ruckus as it begins? Then- flip a switch -- on go lights and LOUD music and coon vamoose is loose?
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