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  1. #1
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Suicidal chickens.

    I am so frustrated. I lost another bird last night. The problem is not the security of the pens, it's the birds. There's a certain dominant personality type that tries to attack the predator and the predator grabs her head and rips it off. There's a weak spot in all of the pens and that's the door. There's a gap in the frame that's big enough for a bird to stick its head through.

    I have to rethink this from the point of view of the bird not the predator. Like putting a barrier on the inside so I can still open the door.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Jollymolly's Avatar
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    Im sorry you lost another bird. Btw how is Henley doing?

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    janedoe (09-26-2018)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jollymolly View Post
    Im sorry you lost another bird. Btw how is Henley doing?
    Great. Laying again which means she's recovered and has chilled out. She's funny when I move her now. She stomps her feet and squats so I can pick her up. It's sweet. Truly a pet chicken.

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  6. #4
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    Oh My God! Are you saying that one bird attacked another and ripped her head off???

  7. #5
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lovemylabby View Post
    Oh My God! Are you saying that one bird attacked another and ripped her head off???
    No. Fisher cat or raccoon. Fisher cats are notorious for just ripping off the head but if a raccoon can't get into the enclosure, they'll settle for the head. I'm thinking fisher cat given what I'm seeing. Vicious and fast. Think wolverine that can climb and moves fast.

    Chickens will kill each other though and are very very not vegetarians. Two of our birds once ate a squirrel that holed up in their enclosure last winter. It's a personality / breed thing when they go after each other. That's how I wound up with two birds caged separately last year. Production Reds. Just say no. Pain in the backside.

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    lovemylabby (09-27-2018)

  9. #6
    Senior Dog Jollymolly's Avatar
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    I had to look a Fisher cat up and they look scary.

  10. #7
    Senior Dog JackK's Avatar
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    Fisher cats can be nasty and are feisty. You'll know they are in the area by their scream. Sounds like a baby crying ... very creapy. They don't need much of a gap in protection to grab a chicken.

  11. #8
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    I'm so sorry....that's awful

  12. #9
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Yikes! I had gaps so I put a board on the inside (door opens out) to fill it. When I heard that raccoons reach and and pull chickens out from basically any sized gap, I created a fort knox situation.

 



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