Before I start on this story, I have been updating some other posts from 2018 forward, adding pictures etc.
Well recently things are not going well here on the homestead, we have lost five chickens and two ducks in the last two weeks. At this point we don't know exactly what is getting the chickens, but the ducks have been being taken by a Red Tailed Hawk. We know this from the lack of lost feathers and we were outside when one was taken.
The first chicken we lost was in the boy goats pen, and taken back through the fence at the South West corner of our property. I promptly set three leg hold traps around the outside of that fence, two on the west side and one on the south side. several days later I was checking the traps and found one of my traps missing along with the rebar stake that was holding it down. At this point we were thinking the culprit was a Bobcat, but as more chickens were taken, we had two in one day taken, which sounded more like foxes.
Well recently things are not going well here on the homestead, we have lost five chickens and two ducks in the last two weeks. At this point we don't know exactly what is getting the chickens, but the ducks have been being taken by a Red Tailed Hawk. We know this from the lack of lost feathers and we were outside when one was taken.
This is the scene of the last attack, as you can see a lot of feathers on the end of the stock panels. this photo was taken at the edge of a dirt path down to the old well in the pasture.
Following down the path leading to the old well, on the left is the scene of the second attack, on the compost pile, just past the large stump. I had set a live trap just to the other side of that pile baited with a piece of chicken. which leads to another side story, I was working down in the pasture on the retaining wall, when returning to the house asked Janice where Sadie our German shepherd was, she didn't know and about that time It hit me. I returned to the pasture and sure enough Sadie was in the trap, and had eaten the chicken (thank goodness it was boneless). Any way back to the latest attack, the trail of feathers led along this path toward the old well.
You can see the old well on the left top corner of the picture. I followed the trail of feathers along this to the three trees you can see just to the other side of the pond. now I am not sure what is taking the chickens as the feathers led to the fence and away on the other side, but there were also a few feathers up on the fence. since I am still not sure what is taking the chickens I moved the live trap (currently reset with fresh bait) down next to the fence. I am determined to get this chicken thief.
