I went to a call tonight this guy raises chickens. He has a small plot that he uses in a residential area. When he called he said he had a pack of coyotes. We had rain so any tracks were washed away. Some of the chickens were buried a little, but the most of them were all over the yard. I cannot use footholds, coins , or snares. There are to many domestics around. A trail camera over the last 3 days showed a red fox was there after dark and a domestic cat during the day. I have some big enough cage caps but have never caught a fox in a cage. Any recommendations?

I think you answered the question right there but I would certainly set for the fox and keep that camera going.

I figure the neighbors harbor the culprit,fox just happened to be there.Most fox and fowl damages that I have seen the bird was gone other than maybe a feather or two.

Coyotes??? I would think and hope you know better

DOMESTIC DOG

Only a dog will kill for the sheer [Please excuse my language... I'm an idiot] of it. Coyotes, fox, coon and owls will kill for food and eat what they can. The fox will bury leftovers but not kill more than it can eat at a sitting. They can kill multiples though over the course of several visits. The only other animals that kill for pure pleasure is mink or weasel but they don't chase them all over the yard, you'll find them all piled up in a corner of the coop.

Best bet is to do as we did coming up. Set up and catch them in the act and sort it all out with judicious use of buckshot. You have a far stronger case of "self defense" that way than setting traps for every mutt in the neighborhood.

Just sold a coyote - dog cage trap with a live bait box to a customer who had a camera set that showed three coyotes coming in his coop and killing half his chickens. The camera shows them coming back every three to four nights. He said he killed one and they still come back.

Not only do I agree with David but I can also supply the missing word....for the sheer "heck" of it.

If you catch the culprit alive go ahead and kill it anyway as that is the only cure for a chicken killer. Trust me I've tried every method known to man to break one from it and it can't be done.

I had a friend with an Alaskan Malamute .he had 2 neighbors with 60 chickens each .in a month his dog killed all 120 chickens,30 cats and 4 dogs.

I have seen coon, fox, and domestic dog go on killing spree's. I have not seen yotes do it but have seen them take down a pony just for the fun of it. for no other reason than whatever it was in their heads. Worst spree was a coon killed 51 polts in a porch area. took about 15 mins, customer watched, I ask why didn't you go stop it his reply was I was scared, that F in thing was going nuts. here was heads and body parts everywhere.

In UT numerous times on a project I worked on we had 5-7 lambs taken out in one night by coyotes and not one bite removed from them. These were all verified coyote kills through necropsy so no guess work. However I would agree that domestic dogs do this type of thing all the time and I saw this plenty growing up on a farm.

Just about any animal can and will "surplus kill" so much that they even created that little term there for it. Weasels in a chicken coop, raccoons in the same, grizzly bear, wolf, lion, etc... Sometimes it may be a younger animal who just gets fired up and doesn't focus on bringing home groceries over the "its running from me I should catch it and kill it" mentality that of course dogs have especially when not trained.

I remember a grizzly predation event on cattle in Idaho 10 years plus back. The rancher pulled up to the gate and all his cattle were packed into this one corner looking like they were herded there. After riding the pasture he found something in line with 15-20 dead adult cattle, all from one bear! Also met a gentleman who has an amazing photo that I wish I had just for my collection. A whole herd of snowbound bighorn in deep snow that tried to cross a valley and the wolves ran right up to them killed them in this case and didn't remove anything.

I don't like sensationalizing and know some of these cases are more rare than others, but in the end, any predator we have is capable of inflicting a mass casualty if it gets a wild hair to do so.

I have heard of mink and weasel inflicting this kind of damage upon chickens - you should try a box trap like KIRK recommended to catch the coyote / fox / coon (s) and use live bait - (chicken)or you could try predator calling @ twilight or during the early morning hours - the culprit is no doubt still around - it could be a pack of domestic dogs - which is more likely than not - which is sad - because they will continue to predate people's livestock unless you destroy them - if it is in fact dogs. Try to find tracks - then set accordingly - traps - or call. We have chicken calls on our PREDATOR CALLS CD - you can find it on EBAY - Google Roadrunner Wildlife Attractors -

My guess is a mink or weasel - blood thirsty cold blooded killers !

Trapper ED

We know that most grizzlies and wolves are not like the ones Justin is talking about. They are, however, the reason that our forefathers got rid of every last one of them. Why city folk, who have never seen a wolf in the wild, are so eager to have them everywhere, is beyond me. The people in the north that have seen them, are always busy bandaging or burying after they have seen them.

HD I Know that coyotes can and will do the mass kill when fired up. I have heard of a few last year where 10 to 12 sheep was killed or badly injured in one night by coyote or coyotes, I believe it but never seeing the results first hand like I have with the others I mentioned I could not say it. My lab/pointer mix that I have (We call them Delaware Bay retrievers) if they see a groundhog or hogs out in the open, there is no question they just kill them if there is more than one say a family group they will try to get them all. they just hate the gh. and the only thing on their minds at that point is getting that hog or hogs. I have seen fox go into a field and kill the pheasants and just let them lay there or maybe try to cover them. the tracks in the snow show what a event it must have been. I guess some of the outings, after the not guilty! was read are the same concept, just a frenzy.

Jonesie,

I understand, I would also agree most often its a dog or dogs. This was chronic when I was a kid I remember losing hutch rabbits where I was literally getting off the bus, probably was 11 or 12 at the time and saw 6 dogs at the hutches, tearing the doors off and grabbing rabbits and just laying them out. Now many years later there is a local rancher here that lives close to a small town by the mountains, they've had to remove something on par with 300 feral and loose dogs on their ranch over the last 2 years.... (maybe a bit of a problem!)

Our lab/chow when we still had her, was around sheep several years no issues. One day we were penning and weighing in UT and looked down the fence row and she had a lamb and was doing her best to attempt to kill it, though she was a bit inept luckily and we saved the lamb. She basically drooled all over the back of its neck....

Never did it again and not sure why that one, but as you mention like with the gh situation, once they learn it they are on it!

A friend growing up had a golden, smart and sweet dog, but boy it wanted every groundhog out of that yard, field, pasture. It would let the younger dogs they had get bit and come around behind and one quick grab and that was it.

On a side note, remembered it loved to roll in dead carp too! Phew what an odor!

Wink - I think wolves and grizzly and lion and so forth are phenomenal wildlife species, I do think there are many in the urban environment trying to decide what rural folks would or should live with and thats where some big issues lay. Growing up in upstate NY I only knew of predators for the most part from books, TV and trips or vacations (we only had red fox, raccoon and skunk) as our major players till about 14 years ago when coyotes swept over the area.

So I fully admit I had a sheltered view of predators, predation and so forth. Learning more on ranches and just living in the west was the best education I could have to be able to see all wildlife for what they are in wide open spaces.

Too often we see a lot of thought and emotion going to these debates and arguments, I've seen folks argue with me about mtn. lion existing entirely on field mice (true story, happened in OR at a state fair booth), have had others say coyote can't kill adult sheep etc...

What bothers me most about those arguments is that folks want to deny the basic principle of a predator. It isn't malicious, it is how they evolved and how they live and die, that is what is amazing and incredible about them as with any species, is the adaptations and skill they develop.

I love the full complement of wildlife, but I also acknowledge that while many would love to just see them or know they are in the world, they do cause damage or conflict and we mustn't deny the animals basic nature just to try to debate how we manage them.

On a side note, our forefathers in my opinion did what they did because each cow/sheep/chicken meant life or death while settling the countryside for what we have now. We also came from a big bad wolf background and upbringing that delineated predators as evil or bad.

Truth is they are neither, just depends on how your interaction, as we all know, the animal rights activist today is after one major wildlife problem ready to throw out toxicants, poison, etc... just to resolve what is now a real problem tomorrow!



Okay back to work too much to do!!!!

Justin, I always appreciate your viewpoint. I just wish it was as easy for me to become less biased about wildlife. We never had coyotes in our area and now that we have them, I wish nothing but death and destruction on every one of them. They were supposed to kill all the deer and feral cats and be a wonderful predator. What a crock! They are completely worthless.

( Of course our family thought I would feel the same way about our granddaughter that was adopted from South Korea, but they were wrong. I am one of her family favorites and the feeling is mutual. The rest of the family is still in shock. )

Paul,

I still have biases, I just try to see them and recognize them whenever possible

I give quite a few talks on coyote and bats, my goal is always education and as much neutrality as possible.
With HOA's for example I present facts and options and let them decided as a group how to go forward.

Love the story about the little one in your family!

From Illinois. My Neighbors Came Home One Day To Find A Fox Running Around Grabbing Their Chickens. The Fox Would Bit And Shake Them Then Just Drop The Chicken And Move Onto The Next Chicken. Before He Could Shoot The Fox It Had Killed 15 Chickens
This Was During The Day time