While Dennis was away on a three-day business trip last week I was in charge of Annie and the chickens. Annie's care is simple – food, water, petting and opening the door for her coming and going. Chicken care should be simple, too, but it turned into a nightmare on Saturday, the day Dennis would return.
The chicken routine goes like this: get a scoop of scratch from the chicken house, go into the chicken yard, unlatch and open the little chicken door, and toss the scratch on the ground. After the chickens rush out their door and get busy eating scratch, go back in the house and fill the feeders with Layena.
Saturday morning, though, when I went into the chicken house to get a scoop of scratch I immediately noticed a dead hen lying under the roost, her throat torn out. The killer had struck again! When I went into the chicken yard to open the little door, there lay two more dead hens, feathers scattered all around. The little door was closed, but not latched, although I had carefully latched it the night before.
In spite of my horror I examined the bodies and found that only one bird's body had been torn open, the crop partially eaten. The other two had neck wounds, but no other mutilation. This was killing for sport, something we associate with human behavior, but not with animal behavior.
Few animals can manipulate a latch and pull on a wire to lift open the door, and in our neck of the woods, that means a raccoon. Research revealed that the raccoon's modus operandi is to tear the chicken's neck or even decapitate it. They also may tear open the crop and eat its contents. Moreover, the raccoon may go on a killing spree, taking the lives of several birds in one night, just for the heck of it.
Clearly, we had made a huge mistake in putting the door latches on the outside of the house. After collecting the dead birds in a garbage bag I headed to town to buy new door hooks. When Dennis came home he disposed of the bodies and installed the hooks on the inside of the little chicken door so that it can be opened only from inside the house.
It's been a hard lesson in poultry husbandry. We thought we knew all about caring for chickens. Now we know more. Soon we will be getting a dozen baby chicks who will be protected from night raiders, but I don't kid myself that we've learned all the lessons yet.
The chicken routine goes like this: get a scoop of scratch from the chicken house, go into the chicken yard, unlatch and open the little chicken door, and toss the scratch on the ground. After the chickens rush out their door and get busy eating scratch, go back in the house and fill the feeders with Layena.
Saturday morning, though, when I went into the chicken house to get a scoop of scratch I immediately noticed a dead hen lying under the roost, her throat torn out. The killer had struck again! When I went into the chicken yard to open the little door, there lay two more dead hens, feathers scattered all around. The little door was closed, but not latched, although I had carefully latched it the night before.
Few animals can manipulate a latch and pull on a wire to lift open the door, and in our neck of the woods, that means a raccoon. Research revealed that the raccoon's modus operandi is to tear the chicken's neck or even decapitate it. They also may tear open the crop and eat its contents. Moreover, the raccoon may go on a killing spree, taking the lives of several birds in one night, just for the heck of it.
Clearly, we had made a huge mistake in putting the door latches on the outside of the house. After collecting the dead birds in a garbage bag I headed to town to buy new door hooks. When Dennis came home he disposed of the bodies and installed the hooks on the inside of the little chicken door so that it can be opened only from inside the house.
At the bottom of the door frame are the two thumb latches cleverly opened by the night visitor. At the top of the photo you can see the new hooks that fasten on the inside of the house.
Here's a hen coming into what we hope is a safe house.
2 comments:
Are raccoons good for anything but trouble?! Todd told me tales of raccoons ravaging corn patches at his grandparent's farm. Our neighbors in Monterey lost their dog to a gang of raccoons who tore their poor pet apart! I say we need a raccoon Alcatraz!
Oh, I forgot to add how sorry I am for your loss!
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