[johnmac]

Went to let my chickens out this morning, three of the nine had already escaped the coop but were in the 'fully secured run'... Or at least I thought it was!

Saw a little collection of black feathers, then a little bit away a black hen I'd rescued six months back face down dead. A few feathers missing and some nibbling round the neck and jaw. No signs of tracks or anywhere a predator could have got in and in any case I think a large predator would have killed more than one?

Hen was very fresh, probably dead an hour. The only possible I can think is that it may have been a rat? I spotted an oversized mouse hole in the run yesterday but thought it might be a mouse and I'd sort it at the weekend. I say oversized, but I put that down to collapse making it appear bigger because the whole run is 6" deep of sharp sand.

Question is could it have been a rat that killed it, then scurried off down the whole?!?

Like I say, little of the chicken eaten. No signs of large bites. Minimal struggle and dragged a couple of feet from where the bunch of feathers were??

Lastly, I'm taking no chances! The thought of rats disgusts and embarrasses me! Ground is to frozen to dig 'it' out so I've set a fire at the mouth of the whole! I'll either smoke it out, suffocate it under ground or melt it!

[Dizzycow]

Sounds similar to my experience last week, although whatever took my chicken off a rafter either ate or removed the whole body, just leaving feathers and a bit of flesh. We have a terrible rat problem, I'm ashamed to say. We're poisoning (rather not do it, but needs must) and trapping the bastards. The general consensus was that rats are scavengers rather than killers, so I'm pointing the finger at stoats or weasels.
Fingers and toes crossed, whatever it was hasn't come back.....yet. Hope it's the same for you. Good luck!

[JEP]

i don't think its rats we've had them never killed any birds
best thing to do is put poison down hole then put something heavy on top
check each day keep putting down till no more taken

[robert waddell]

it could be mink  they are vicious bastards       i caught one once in a drain pipe plugged it at both ends and put cyanide bombs in it        left it pulled the bung and the forker ran away

[chrismahon]

Heard of rats taking chicks, which is quite common, but not fully grown chicken. They would be in danger of being eaten themselves! Suspect small stoat or young mink -it went for the neck and made a quick kill. Just too small to drag the body away. I'd set a rabbit trap up with the remains of the chicken inside in the same place as you found it.

[Bramblecot]

Same problem , lost 4 bantam pullets since New Year.  They have chewed 2-3 inch diameter holes in the side of nest box.  Then found a hen with blood on her foot.  I assumed it was rats but we have a running ditch nearby so could it be mink/stoats?

[chrismahon]

If it was just a foot injury Bramblecot it's likely an opportunist rat. Stoat or mink will go straight for the throat. Have heard of rats biting the heads off tiny chicks. Chewing into the nest box is to get eggs or access to a feeder. Which reminds me, have a friend who fell asleep on the way home after a few too many (more than a few) and was woken in the morning by a rabbit eating his shoelace!

[Smalltime]

Maybe it is a hungry otter. They won't be able to get into the lakes as frozen and will be travelling looking for an easy meal.

[Mel]

We also have rats,though we have never had a hen or bantam taken,

These are big ones too,one is incredibly intelligent,it will not touch the poison,manages to take food off of a trap and if we hide in the trailer and watch the hut where it lives,somehow it knows we are there with the rifle.

I am thinking about smoking it out,I have to say,it is a big one,I was throwing some corn down for the hens the other day and out of my peripheral saw something,looked over,turned away and though,hold on,we do not have rabbits here-thinking it was a young one  This rat has eaten a hole in the side of the pig feed shed which is 6 x 1 tanalised gravel boards,the whole is 4-5 inches in diameter...Hoping to create war at the weekend!(I have said the Chris,go get it tiger  ) whilst I stay as far away as possible!

[jaykay]

I'd say a stoat. They've killed one of my neighbour's chickens and the cock pheasant who used to come to my bird feeder, in the past week.

[deepinthewoods]

leghorn, tie a hot fried chicken drumstick to a brick with some baler twine, put it a few feet from its hole,   as ratty tries to drag it back, shoot it! works everytime.
 they just cant resist that finger licking taste!

[Mel]

leghorn, tie a hot fried chicken drumstick to a brick with some baler twine, put it a few feet from its hole,   as ratty tries to drag it back, shoot it! works everytime.
 they just cant resist that finger licking taste!

I just have to try this lol 

[Dundonald hens]

We get rats as well i put out live traps for them with tuna or cat food in them then shoot them or like someone eles said get something realy yummy that smells great and hangit about 8 inches from the ground then shoot the futters when they are trying to eat it.
There is also some new poisins out there i sen one the other day that smelt that good i wanted to eat it lol smelt like bubble gum i have as well had to put this out but oly in enclsed areas where nothing else could get it.

Some cans of beer, some warm clothes and a air rifle its better than the telly  !!!

[suziequeue]

yes - we have rats round our chickens too. We try to remember to take the feed in at night. We tried treadle feeders but the chickens didn't really get on with them.

I've been wanting to put poison down but what about the dog? I'm worried that he will find a carcass and pick it up/chew it.

Anybody else had problems like that with rat poison?

[Bramblecot]

Yes, the dog will get secondary poisoning from a dead/dying rat.  Years ago, our labrador (well, it would be!), had a good chew on a dead rat that had been poisoned by our neighbour.  The dog was saved by the vet but was always weak and died quite young.