[farmers wife]

Now this is weird.  My hens are in a moveable caravan with a wooden slatted floor.  I didnt let them out myself this morning.  I went to check on the eggs around 11am and found a perfectly healthy hen on the caravan floor - one legg and eaten from underneath.   Then someone was walking past and saw another dead around 2pm.  Half eaten one leg half side gone it was cold so unsure if its been there for a while.  I spent some time watching them and saw a small hen hobbling picked it up looks like its been attacked from underneath too (sort of under the leg and breast.  I know about buzzard attacks however I am really perplexed about this one because the lovely big healthy hen was lying on the caravan floor.  I had just thought she had died and the hens underneath were pulling bits off.


All 3 are new to the flock out of 75 in total and 50 original.  The are bickering a bit but nothing wild.  They have enormous ringed fence so no overcrowding.


ANy ideas?

[Marches Farmer]

How far off the ground is the caravan floor and how wide apart the slats?  Stoat or polecat maybe?

[farmers wife]

I will find out.  I have never seen a polecat/stoat here but that doesnt mean they dont exist.  How do you know if they are in the vicinity? My only other thought was a rat?  but it would be a hungry one. Will report back - post pict too

[harmony]

Mink? Do you have a watercourse nearby?

[Fleecewife]

We used to start off our chicks and ducklings inside our greenhouse, which is inside the polytunnel.  A huge fat rat dug underneath and killed most of a brood.  So we put down tiny mesh wire netting on the floor of the greenhouse - another rat, or family of rats,  managed to pull chicks through this by one leg.  The terriers finished off the rat, but we learnt that the floor is just as much a route for attack as the walls, windows, pop hole etc.
I know your experience is of grown hens, so maybe not a rat - I would say stoat - you are very unlikely to see those but they are around and unbelievably strong for their size.

You need to turn the caravan into a fortress   

[farmers wife]

The slats are 1" apart about 1ft off the floor.  I am considering the mesh system as I feel these hens were asleep on the floor when they were attacked.  I am going to be a webcam now as cant afford to lose my girls as we are planning to buy more. I think the CCTV will be the best way forward.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

does anyone around your way keep ferrets? Maybe one escaped. Pretty strange though. My guess would be that whatever it is, whether rat, polecat, stoat or ferret it has probably tried to pull it through the slats and the hen being bigger than the gap couldn't fit through, so it probably killed it where it stood. Pretty disgusting I know and am sorry if this has upset anyone. I wouldn't rule out a rat though, here is a vid where one tackles a pigeon, so it is indeed possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isMg3P1N-zU

[waterbuffalofarmer]

What type of house is it by the way? I use houses which have a wooden/metal tray which is removeable to clean and protects young and hens from predators.

[devonlady]

I would (if you can) put the wire mesh (as fine as you can afford) a couple of inches below your slats.

[Clansman]

Does sound more like one of the larger predators, mink/polecat/cat if its getting a hold of them through a 1" slat and by the amount you are describing as being eaten.

[Foobar]

Mink? Are you near water?  We've seen one in our local river.


You say your enclosure has an enormous fence, but how big are the mesh holes, what is the strength of the mesh, and do you have an anti dig skirt dug in, and an anti-climb overhang?  I would beef up the perimeter security rather than the house itself.

[farmers wife]

Not really near water - even though our farm feds a reservoir. I have never seen any polecat or similar but thats no evidence.  I have an electric fence thats moved regularly but the fence isnt on as the unit is being used elsewhere (disaster in the making).  Its gone quiet over the last few days.

[Clansman]

Possibly whatever it was has had its fill and in laying up to sleep it off, I'd expect it back again soon

[Talana]

I have had hens taken by mink seen it with my own eyes we are about half a mile from water

[Marches Farmer]

We have many mustelids in the area but they're rarely seen.