Thank you to the many who replied. Long detailed reply below....
* the chickens are Serama bantams, less than a pound as adults. The
roosters are too small to fend off hawks or small predators, though
they do warn the hens. I don't know if they will try to fight off a
predator.
* coop/run -- There is a chicken tractor (mobile unit) composed of a
coop on wheels with an automatically closing door (set on a timer)
and an attached run with a skirt that prevents foxes from digging
under the wire screening (approx. 1 x 1.5 inch openings). The door
to the run is generally left open. The chickens are safe sleeping at
night until the coop door automatically opens in the morning, at
which point they can come out into the run and then into the
surrounding yard. When the door to the run is closed, they are safe
from most predators except weasels which could probably get through
the wire screening. The tractor is moved weekly which helps keep the
run clean.
* current fencing -- The chicken tractor sits in a part of the yard
protected one one side by the house, on another side by sheep
fencing (5 feet high with electrified high tensile wire at 4.5 and 5
feet), and in 2 places by 35-inch high electrified netting. Could
one of the large ground predators (coyote, fox, raccoon, dogs, cats)
jump over the fence? Yes, except for the raccoon, any of these
could easily jump over the fence. However, we've used it for 14
years to protect the sheep and apparently coyotes and dogs touch the
fence, get shocked and then maybe try again but then simply back
off. I was told that you have to teach a dog to jump over such
fencing. I don't know about foxes or cats. I know that a fox got
in with the sheep by jumping onto the top of the posts, thus
avoiding the high tensile wires. The lambs/sheep were not attacked.
One of those could be jumping over the fence perhaps without having
first touched it. The fencing is tested periodically and is
connected to the sheep fencing which has an "alert" on it that would
flash if the charge on the fence dropped below a certain level.
Generally, the level is at 7-8 Kv driven by a 2 or 3 joule fence
charger putting out a charge once per second. The dry ground could
be reducing the shock felt by predators; but I and my helpers have
gotten shocked when accidentally touching it so this does not seem
to be a problem.
* better fencing -- electrified chicken netting will be added. It
has much smaller holes than the current electrified netting. This
should help deter small predators like rats, skunks, weasels,
fishers, opossums. The current larger holed netting will remain as
a second "wall." Neither of these would prevent a predator from
digging under.
* why are the chickens being allowed to free range -- I think they're
much happier and healthier (assuming they survive) not being in a
small enclosed run (approx. 3' x 9'). They have access to more
foraging opportunities, more space to avoid each other when
squabbling, minimal build up of droppings, etc. At the moment, I'm
not letting them out except perhaps toward the end of the day when I
can watch them until they go into the coop. A somewhat bigger but
affordable-sized run would not be mobile, would not provide the
foraging opportunities of free-ranging and would have the problem of
keeping it clean (compared to weekly moves of the current one.).
And one as big as the current foraging area would be very expensive
to build.
* scat -- I did some reading but I think an expert is needed to ID the
source animal. Someone suggested the LLCT. I'll also try Audubon.
* aerial predators -- There are no easy ways to deter hawks besides a
good farm dog. a mob of crows, or complete enclosure. The crows did
a great job this past summer. I've read that fake owls, flashing
lights, etc. can work but often for only a limited amount of time. I
had a helper string monofilament above the area. I've read that this
sometimes works but I don't see why. I think it's hard to see but a
hawk could easily go through the gaps.
* guardian animals
o A goose would have no trouble fending off a hawk, would sound an
alarm if larger predators appeared. So it might protect the
chickens either deliberately or inadvertently. But a goose would
be happier with some water and will leave goose droppings all
over the place. And it would mean another set of food/health tasks.
o A dog -- I was generally advised that the small area to be
guarded would leave the dog bored and prone to wandering, that
it was impossible to know if a dog would guard chickens (unless
it's been doing that already) or be protective of the yard as
part of its territory. A dog also adds a whole new set of chores
and problems.
o Large rooster -- If you get a "good" one, it will warn the hens
of danger and fight off predators. Not all roosters will do
this and some are aggressive toward humans. I think it would
fight with and chase off the Serama rooster. And it would be
very loud. Serama roosters's voices are no louder than that of
regular birds. So their crowing does not bother my neighbors.
* clues as to predator ID -- Taking just one very small (between 4-6
oz (chicks) and 10-12 oz (adults)) bird at intervals of 3-7 days
seems odd. The hawks that have successfully grabbed a chicken in
the past, have been very visible -- back the same day and almost
every day afterward for a week or two. One tiny chicken does not
seem like enough food for a coyote or fox. Weasels and fishers are
known for killing many chickens at a time, not just the one that
they eat. Aside from feathers, there has not been any corpse or body
part left to help with identifying the predator. I lean toward
thinking it's an opossum or skunk. There have been no smells. And
having watched my chickens run, I think an opossum or skunk might be
able to sneak up and grab one but would have trouble catching
others. Although my place is fairly close to Farrar Pond, it's about
1000 feet away at the closest point, over uneven, hilly, brushy
terrain. And typical mink hunting territory is along water (river
banks, lake edges, etc. So a mink is a possibility but maybe a
little unlikely. BTW, several years ago, a chipmunk killed 4
newborn chicks. The Serama bantams have very tiny chicks -- the
eggs are maybe 1/3rd to 1/4th the volume of the size of a regular
egg. So who knows what not-yet-thought-of animal/bird is the predator.
Thanks again for your help and condolences.
Karen
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