Fox in the Henhouse?

Everyone who keeps poultry sooner or later experiences the heart-stopping moment of realization that a predator has come to call. A typical first reaction is to rush in, assess the damage, and clean up the mess. But stopping to carefully survey the scene can give you valuable clues toward determining what type of predator was involved, and therefore what precautions you can take to prevent a future recurrence.

Poultry Predation

Each predator species has a typical way of killing and consuming its prey — “typical” being the operative word. Not all animals within a single species work in exactly the same way. Further, younger members of a species may work in a different way than the older, more experienced members. Still, certain clues can point you in the right direction. For starters, mammals and raptors leave different sets of signs.

When birds are missing from the poultry yard, among the important initial clues to note are how many are missing, their age and size, and any damage to the fence or coop that may indicate whether the predator walked or flew. When birds are