# A sad thing happened here...



## gentle giants (May 13, 2008)

My husband and I live right next door to my parent's house, we bought part of their property from them and put a house on it. Anyway, my mom has had chickens for years, ever since I had them in 4-H and she fell inlove with them, LOL. 

My Mom was taking out the garbage on Monday morning, and noticed that it was awfully quiet in the chicken house. When she realized that none of them were out in the yard scratching around on a beatiful sunny day, she knew something was wrong. She went into the house, and found all of her hens and her pair of geese, dead. Something went into the house and just broke all their necks, most of them didn't have a mark on them. One of the geese was missing, and one was partially eaten, but from the fact the chickens were hardly even touched, we think mabye a possum came in later and took advantage of the situation, rather than the killer actually eating it. 

And here's the really weird part, folks. Instead of them just laying all over the place like you would think, they were all in this neat pile in the middle of the house. And whatever did this was not only big enough to carry away a goose that weighed probably over 15 pounds, but was so fast that neither my parents nor my husband and I heard them yelling. And when chickens get disturbed at night, they scream their dang heads off! What we all keep thinking/saying is, what kind of animal _does_ that? Not only kill them all apparently just for fun, but then pile them all up neatly in the middle of the house? It is seriously creepy. The only thing we could think was that coyotes did it, cause it seems like it would have had to have been more than one animal to kill 8-9 birds without giving them time to yell for help.


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## myheart (May 13, 2008)

Are you sure it wasn't a person who did this? "No marks on them" and "piled in the middle of the floor"sounds more like one or more persons doing something very hateful. I know preditors can do some damage very swiftly, but taking the time to toss the birds in the middle of the floor and only taking one goose? Just doesn't sound like an animal did all of this horrible act aloneto me.

I am so sorry for your parent's loss. I hope they figure this one out before the trail grows cold. 

myheart


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## polly (May 13, 2008)

Oh thats awful. I have to say it does sound like a person has done it whatever its a horrid thing to happen your poor mum


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## LadyBug (May 13, 2008)

*myheart wrote: *


> Are you sure it wasn't a person who did this? "No marks on them" and "piled in the middle of the floor"sounds more like one or more persons doing something very hateful.



that's exactly what i was thinking:X:grumpynasty people!). i'm sorry this happened to y'all, i hope you get it sorted out soon!


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## luvthempigs (May 13, 2008)

I hate to say but it sounds to me like a person or persons did the killing. Maybe a bunch of teenagers on a dare or something like that?

God only knows what happened to the goose they took....

I would have taken photos and reported it to the police. I don't know that they could do anything but it should be something that is on file incase of future trouble and who knows maybe other people in the neighborhood have had trouble as well.


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## juliew19673 (May 13, 2008)

OMG! That is horrific?! I have to sign on to the "person" theory and perhaps thats why they didn't scream their little heads off as they equate humans w/love and caring. 

Thats is horrible. I'd report it to - whoever/whatever did this to you - might just go do it to another family until they/it are caught...

Poor chickens and Goose.. I wonder if the Goose got away? Did you take a look around at all?


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## JadeIcing (May 13, 2008)

I can not see ANY animal doing this and not eatting them.

That has a human print on it. I would call the police, see if anything else has been reported.


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## mouse_chalk (May 13, 2008)

Oh my god... that's just awful... I'm so sorry for your parents, and your mum must have had such a shock having to find that... I have to agree, although I don't know all that much about predators etc, the way that they were all piled up like that, sounds more likely to be a person to me too. What an awful, meaningless thing to do though...


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## naturestee (May 13, 2008)

I'm so sorry for your parents' losses. My grandma had pet chickens too, she loved them.

I really do think that it was people. Did your parents call the police? My husband and my mom both grew up with chickens on the farm and if a fox or coyote gotnear they would scream enough to wake everyone up. And I've never heard of predatory animals piling up their kills, even if they were just killing for fun. Or animals that kill without a mark aside from a prey animal being scared to death but then they wouldn't have all died at once.

:sad:


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## trailsend (May 13, 2008)

We have Fishers here and they will often kill everything in a coop and not eat all or most of the kills.... they make an awful mess, and destroy everything. This doesn't sound completely un usual but them being in a pile is most strange - I've seen some strange things and dealt with LOTS of predators when it comes to chickens and ducks - what a nightmare! But that's a new one on me. I'm sorry she lost all her birds


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## pumpkinandwhiskersmom (May 13, 2008)

It really does sound like something a person or people have done....which is even more creepy, if you ask me. I'm so sorry for your losses. :sad:


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## AngelnSnuffy (May 14, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear this. I was also thinking a person/people doing this as well. Jerks! I hope you report this. Let us know if anything comes of it. Your mom must be devastated.


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## Haley (May 14, 2008)

Oh wow, that makes me just sick to think about. I would definitely call the police in case it was a person or people


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## MsBinky (May 14, 2008)

That is just cruel. I am sorry


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## gentle giants (May 14, 2008)

Thanks for the sympathy, guys. Most of the hens were rather elderly ones that were pets, except for a couple young ones we had gotten to lay eggs. There were two that survived the attack, a banty pair that was in a big rabbit hutcha few feet from the main house. Ironic that the bigger chickens picking on them ended up saving their lives, huh?

I don't know what to think about what killed them, really. I know that we do have coyotes around here that are unhealthy, the population is so huge that disease is spreading now. So I don't know if it could have just been a couple of deranged coyotes, or whether to think it was people. I know the same thing happened to our neighbor down theroad last year, all of the birds he had running around in the yard were killed, with one or two taken away, but all the birds that were in cages or in the barn were left alone. And this happened to him twice, before he stopped letting any run "loose" in the main pen. He had a lot more birds than we did, he had something like 25-6 killed in the first attack, some of them valuable show birds too. We hadn't even thought about reporting it to the police, honestly, this is farm country and the police would probably be politley skeptical about why they were being called on this. Although asking if any animal cruelty/torture cases have been reported lately is a good idea, I may check on that.


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## Leader of the Pack (May 14, 2008)

What an awful thing to haveto go through. I'm inclined to agree with everyone else; to have all the bodies piled neatly seems "sub-human" to me....:XAndnearly impossible to prove well enough to make a case to law-enforcement.

We live on the outskirts of the city and often have huge opossums visit our garage where we leave a dish of food out for a couple of wild/feral cats that have called our garage home for a number of years now. I've never known a opossum to bother the cats, and I know the cats aren't bothered by them. They just want to eat the cat food. Coyotes on the other hand, it could be. Especially since you mentioned you have a problem with them. 

While we were visiting a friend of my father's once, a coyote came out into and open pasture, in the light of day in an attempt to get one of his hens. Thank goodness my father's friend saw the coyote and made enough noise to scare both away from each other. If their hungry enough, I'm sure almost anything is possible.

I'm so sorry...and hope nothing like this happens again. 

Terri


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## Luvmyzoocrew (May 14, 2008)

i have to say when i read it i first thought it was a person or people that did it. If it was a person that is scary, anyone who would kill an animal for the sport or fun of it in my mind is horribly disturbed. I am so sorry for your parents loss and i hope that if it was a person or persons they are caught.


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## PixieStixxxx (May 14, 2008)

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry about the loss of your chickens and goose. That's awful what this animal or person did :X


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## Bunnicula (May 14, 2008)

Just wanted to chime in and say that it does sound so much like the predator was people.

Sorry to hear about the birds. No matter how old they are, I know they were a loved part of your family.


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## AngelnSnuffy (May 15, 2008)

Just wondering if you guys called this in and what has come of it. 

I was talking to my hubby about it tonight, he used to have chickens growing up. He thinks one of the geese would have chased them off, but I said in the middle of the night? Maybe not then. He also thinks it was stupid kids. If your mom wants to do this again, he said to get a turkey, they'll chase anyone off your property.


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## juliew19673 (May 15, 2008)

*AngelnSnuffy wrote: *


> If your mom wants to do this again, he said to get a turkey, they'll chase anyone off your property.




This animal the "Turkey" is one of the BEST guard animals I've ever come across! Their mean and stupid, and very territorial (had to protect myself when we had them on the farm when I went to the barn as they would always try to bite you and they were SO loud!). 

I'm sure there is someone that has had or has a loving one - but again VERY good guard animals on a farm..

Again, so sorry for this devistation to your folks... How are they doing? Any word on what may have happened?


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## gentle giants (May 15, 2008)

Well, likeI said, not real likely that the police will pay much attention around here. As for the geese chasing them off-they might be able to with a raccoon or possum, but a coyote would laugh at a goose trying to chase him. He would be more likely to jsut open his mouth and wait for the goose to run in. 

We used to have a pair of turkeys, they are funny! The tom was all tough so long as your back was turned, but if you just looked him in the eye he would go all casual like, "Oh, hey, what is this interesting thing over here...?" and walk off like he had no interest in you whatsoever. The hen of the pair was very sweet and friendly for years--until her tom died of heatstroke one summer. It took both me and my dad to carry him away (he was enormous!!) and after that, she would always bite us. I think she thought we killed him. She lived to something like four or five years, which is pretty impressive for a Broad Breasted Bronze, her breed, as they were bred to be eaten before they get to be a year old. They tend to get so huge so fast that they have leg problems, or their hearts jsut can't take the strain. I think Delilah wieghed somethinglike 45 pounds when she died, and the tom even more. 

This thread is really depressing, isn't it? Sorry guys.


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## BSAR (May 15, 2008)

:shock:That is so awful! I can't imagine how I would feel if chickens of mine were attacked and left there in a pile. That is so creepy. I would be guessing that it was a human also. I don't think anything else could have done that. I am sorry for you mom's loss.


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## Bunnicula (May 15, 2008)

*gentle giants wrote: *


> This thread is really depressing, isn't it? Sorry guys.



Not depressing, more like distressing - hard to believe that a person could do that if that is what happened.

Don't be sorry. There are so many posts here because we all share your heartache and want to find some way to let you know.

Hugs,

~Mary Ellen


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## AngelnSnuffy (May 16, 2008)

It's sad, but not depressing. I think if you feel like it, you should talk about it here. How is your mom doing? Is she dealing okay?


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## pinksalamander (May 16, 2008)

My Nan has kept chickens for years.. until she gave up because its just too much hassle. She must have had about 4 or 5 groups at different times. I doubt that it was a person (depending on where you live) but foxes in the UK are notorious for simply killing chickens, and never really eating them which is why so many people get annoyed with them.. its not like they're killing them because they are starving its just like a dog would play with a little animal.

Sorry to hear about this, i remember going out into my Nan's garden and just seeing feathers everywhere. Doves too, they used to kill any dove they could get on the ground. I suppose thats one of the big problems with living in the country! And since the fox hunting ban the population is growing so rapidly.


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## bat42072 (May 16, 2008)

I think it sounds human to me... a wild animal wouldn't pile them up ...


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## juliew19673 (May 16, 2008)

*gentle giants wrote: *


> There were two that survived the attack, a banty pair that was in a big rabbit hutcha few feet from the main house. Ironic that the bigger chickens picking on them ended up saving their lives, huh?




I love the Banta chickens - we had 4 that were just pets; so cute; funny that our chickens picked on them too - I always thought they egg laying chickens were jealous the bantas.. 

Glad to hear that something survived..


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## pinksalamander (May 16, 2008)

Sorry, i totally glossed over that point!


*bat42072 wrote: *


> I think it sounds human to me... a wild animal wouldn't pile them up ...


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## gentle giants (May 17, 2008)

Mom is doing ok, but she has decided that we are not getting any more poultry of any kind until we can build a much stronger, harder to break into building. It's just not worth the risk of raising them and getting attached and all jsut to have them killed again.


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## AngelnSnuffy (May 18, 2008)

Was the chicken house locked? How did they get in?


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## gentle giants (May 18, 2008)

*AngelnSnuffy wrote: *


> Was the chicken house locked? How did they get in?


Because the weather was warm, the door on the actual house was open, but there is a fairly solid pen built around the front of the house. The house is up on "legs" about two feet off the ground, and we have the pen around the front and heavy wood "sheets" (not sure what they are called, about twice as thick and three times as heavy as plywood) blocking off the underneath of the house and making the back of the pen. About half of oneof those sheets of wood was ripped/gnawed out, totally destroyed. So there was room for a pretty large animal to come in through it, and says that whatever did this was pretty determined. You would think, from the damage done to the wood, that they/it would have left some chunks of skin behind, too, or at least gotten really bad splinters. We can hope it caused them some pain, anyway. :X


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## AngelnSnuffy (May 18, 2008)

*gentle giants wrote: *


> *AngelnSnuffy wrote: *
> 
> 
> > Was the chicken house locked? How did they get in?
> ...


We can hope anyway, jerks. Really gets to me why someone would be so determined, geez:?.


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## GoinBackToCali (May 18, 2008)

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.. sorry I have not done so sooner.

We have coons and possums in our neck of the woods. 

I have seen a few odd things concerning poultry..

One time we had them all piled up a good ways from the coop, heads missing. One time we had them all piled up in the corner, totally intact.

I can tell you that I have seen raccoons kill for the sheer sport of killing..and not eat them,sometimes , you can just scare the heck out of a chicken and they drop dead. Many a time I have seen kids have to show dead carcasses..chickens are easy to keel over. Due to the fact that I have seen racoons hunt in packs (and yes I know this firsthand..I have caught them in my barn, needless to say.. thats one pack of racoons that don't exist anymore)...ANYWAY.. racoons do hunt in packs, and corral birds.. and I have seen them throw them in piles. I would like to think a human isn't responsible for this heinous crime, and it honestly has the markings of some country come to town racoons, but you just never know. A Pack of racoons working together would explain the lack of noise from the birds.. and if you've never seen.. or killed a full grown racoon.. they can easily get to be 25 to 30 lbs. I have killed some that size. So in that case, it could carry off a goose.

As for Turkeys.. they are usually good noisy watchdogs, but so are goats..BUT, we had show turkeys rounded up and killed by a racoon pack as well.. so nothing is really a sure thing.

I am so sorry this happened to you, and I am sorry to be so blunt.. but it really may not actually be humans..just bored racoons.

Z


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## trailsend (May 18, 2008)

I have to say Zin is right. I've seens the coons here and the fishers, and the foxes even do crazy things, and have had plently of local people share experiences. One guy had his ducks buried alive by raccoons, they were in such a hurry to do it. It's never any fun and I know how this feels - I've had my fair share of poultry troubles too, and all our birds are pets as well... it's never fun to loose any.


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## cheryl (May 18, 2008)

Geez how awful...i just couldn't imagine having to see something like that,it would stick with me for a long time.

I'm sorry for your family

~Cheryl


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## GoinBackToCali (May 18, 2008)

Just a quick note... racoons can find the smallest of holes in the oddest of places, and exploit it..

They are also pretty stealthy and nimble... I would even look towards the roof for a hole.. I have seen it before...


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## juliew19673 (May 18, 2008)

Wow! Never would have even thought of racoons doing that but they are very "smart" devious little creatures. I grew up in Oregon and we had 2 that came into our backyard and dessimated our hot tub on a number of occassions; they were even brazen about it - they would come up to our door and knock as if to say "we here to mess with your stuff"! 

At least now, I feel a little better that perhaps it was an animal and not some crazed human.. Thanks Zin for restoring my faith in mankind..


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## GoinBackToCali (May 19, 2008)

I have a bakers rack with plants on it right by my backdoor..on numerous occassions the doorknob has been rattled..so we get up, baseball bats and swords in hand.. to find a racoon sitting on the rack trying to look nonchalant..


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## gentle giants (May 19, 2008)

Oh, I agree about the raccoons. Thankfully, we haven't had the whole pack situation happen here (yet!) but I've read news articles about packs carrying off/killing people's dogs and even attacking people. I don't think this particular case is raccoons, though, the coon population here is actually pretty low this year andwe have hardly seen any. We have been having severe coyote problems, though, including obviously sick ones coming up _very_ close to the house. Our house, that is, not the chicken's house. That's why I am betting it was them.

It just seems like the wildlife around here has been acting so bizarre latley. We have even had _possums_ come and kill chickens recently! Not just one possum, either, because we made sure the first one did not repeat his offense. It got to where we would set a live trap in the hosue every night before dark, and when we would check it before bed we would always have a possum in it. It's jsut crazy.


Edit to add: Cali, you really have swords in case of burglars? :shock::biggrin2:


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## trailsend (May 19, 2008)

You know who else is bad - skunks. They can cause a lot of trouble and damage too. It's spring time, which is when we have the most trouble with small predators... fall is bad too for racoons. We keep a live trap baited by the barn. 

and yes raccoons and small predators can get in any small hole, even ones you think are too small. Geese are great for making a fuss about predators.


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## gentle giants (May 19, 2008)

*trailsend wrote: *


> You know who else is bad - skunks. They can cause a lot of trouble and damage too. It's spring time, which is when we have the most trouble with small predators... fall is bad too for racoons. We keep a live trap baited by the barn.
> 
> and yes raccoons and small predators can get in any small hole, even ones you think are too small. Geese are great for making a fuss about predators.



We have been lucky not to have very many skunks around here. You will see them once in a while, but not to often. 

Geese are good for yelling about predators--unfortunatly, though, these were Brown Chinese geese, and they never stop yelling, about everything and nothing. You know, the dog walks by, the cat comes into the pen, a scary looking sparrow flies over, and it's _Honk! Honk! Honk!_ That's one of the things we have been missing the most, is that goosey attitude all the time.... 

Geese are so hilarious, in a way they are like really clumsy cats, their own dignity is very important to them. If you "insult" one, i.e. pick him up, chase him, or sometimes even just look at themand laugh, they get very offended. They stick their bills straight up in the air and scold you like crazy. Then they will try to walk away from you and watch you over their shoulders at the same time, and will almost invariably trip and fall flat on their bills doing it. And of course, when you burst out laughing, it just ticks them off even more, LOL. They really have a ton of personality, and most are not nearly as mean as people think they are.


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## Hollybaby (May 21, 2008)

It sounds like a person/people to me. These are people who are sick individuals who are desturbed if they think this is just a prank!!! Morons! These are the people i just want to sit them down and slap the crap out of them!!! And yell "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i am sorry but i think people like this have no lives and need extreame therepy! Chickens are always the most abused! because everyone just thinks of them as stupid creatures that no feelings or emotion, well i will tell you they DO!!!!!!!! This is why i am a vegitarian! they abuse chickens their all the time. im sorry if this outburst offended anyone. :rant:


[align=center]madeline[/align]


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## Hollybaby (May 21, 2008)

I learned on animal planet while i was watching animal cops that these two dogs were so agresive that they went in someones back yard that had lots of bunny hutches and the dogs just ripped the cage doors off, killedall the rabbits. just for fun because none of them were eaten! :bigtears:but i don't blame the dogs, because probublysome moron owner, abused them terribly. so it could of been and animal. 

[align=center]madeline[/align]


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## BSAR (May 21, 2008)

wow, that is even creepier that the "beast" was able to get thru that very thick walling. it sounds like some bigfoot type of animal got in there!


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