The worst loss possible for my chicken breeding program.

[I_heart_Fraggles]

Well as some of you know we breed chickens on my in laws property. Mostly Americana's and I have a real prize winning flock that I have been working on for about 4 years. A few months ago I posted about Lulu our special little silkie hen who died suddenly on her nest. But this is simply the worst!
My mom in law called me just now to tell me that somehow a raccoon broke into my "fort knox" chicken coop. I have no idea how it could have happened...My father in law heard the dogs barking and went running out with his gun. But he did not get there in time to stop Clyde my three time state champion rooster from throwing himself at the raccoon in order to save his 12 hens+chicks and of course his young son Marvin. I am posting this on here cause usually a raccoon will kill the whole flock and leave the rooster. My beautiful Clyde died protecting his hens. I'm completely horrified! If anyone has any advice on how to ward off raccoons please share. My coop is built like a fortress and we can't figure out how it got in. :sigh: Clyde joins his hen wife Lulu at the bridge and leaves behind there son Marvin (silkie mix ) But we love Marvin anyway! I have three brand new chicks by Clyde just hatched four days ago. I know two are roosters but I highly doubt I will get another Clyde.
Here he is "CH. Here comes Clyde". Three time all around state champion poultry. Countless poultry BIS.

 

[Pipp]

What a brave and gorgeous rooster, and what a tragic loss.

I don't know anything about chickens, but he looks stunning and was obviously a much-heralded bird in the rooster world.

Have you figured out how the raccoon got in?

That must have been so traumatic all around. I hope his death was quick and painless and his family is doing okay.

So sorry for your loss. :sad:

sas

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

Thanks for the kindness. My father in law saw the raccoon carrying Clyde over the property fence. He got a shot off but missed and he said that Clyde was clearly dead at that point. I simply can not sleep.
The worst part is that my inlaws are raising there 7 year old twin nieces. They both asked me if they took "Big Clyde" to a show could they keep the ribbons. Well I had decided to let them enter Clyde in youth poultry under there names next month. A few parents were not happy because it would have given the girls an advantage. Clyde would have swept the youth show for sure. But in all fairness the twins helped raise Clyde from a chick along with his sister Bonnie. So it would have been fair. But the girls will be so crushed in the morning when they hear that there "Big Clyde" is gone. Its a disaster

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

To answer your question, no we have no idea how a raccoon got in and out carrying a 6 pound bird. Its completely enclosed and has chicken wire buried 16 inches around the outside. This will be hard on the hens for sure. Plus now I have to make some choices. They need a rooster and in a few days Marvin will take over the flock. That is NOT what I want at all....

 

[Ashleighh]

Hey Katie! I'm so sorry for your loss! It is amazing that he protected his family like that! It reminds me of the father cow in the movie barnyard.
I'm sorry to say I have no idea how the raccoon would have got in! Maybe he dug his way through? :C

Either way I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our biggest problem was skunks. We had ours double walled with aluminum sheets buried 16" in the ground and two doors that were latched in four places and pinned at the bottom. Your gonna have to go over it with great care and figure how your measures were defeated so you can take counter measures. If you don't have pets to worry about, I'd do what I did when an Opposum toke my prized Tiger Koi--wire snares. Since it is familiar with your set up, it will be back so some bait might also be the way to go--just back track as far as you can and set up a few surprises. He was such an exceptional beautiful bird. We are truly sorry for your loss.

 

[JadeIcing]

I am actually crying I have had chickens and roosters in the past as pets and they are so awesome. :'(

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

Thank you everyone. Jason and I are headed to Belfair now to examine the coop. This is not a normal chicken coop that you see. It is a fully built half heated out building with standard wire walls reinforced with chicken wire AND mini chicken wire. That's three layers of wire that you could not fit a pencil threw. The wire is buried 16 inches under ground all the way around. It has a solid wood roof and a locking door. Inside is a heated enclosed nest house and feed shed. It also has two mini coops on the inside for problem birds or hens with young chicks. I don't allow my hens and chicks to run loose because the other hens will peck the chicks causing fights between them and the mothers. Everyone ends up bald around the face if there is a broody hen among them. Right now both mini coops have chicks and there mommies. Plus there is a 4 week old chick with its mother now turned loose. That's why its so amazing no one else was killed as coons always go for chicks or smaller hens. clyde had full spurs but he was not a mean rooster. Your right Larry it will be back. The coop sits in a acre pasture that's fully fenced and no other animals are present. So traps and poison bait are going up tonight. My father in law has already caged all the birds and locked them in the pump house until we figure this out. Not a very happy thing for them at all.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Good luck and happy hunting. I know how you feel as I raised my Koi "Fatboy" from a fingerling. I was sick and furious all at the same time.

 

[Pharfly]

What a stunning rooster! RIP Clyde. I am so sorry for your loss and also so amazed at his reaction too the racoon and giving his life too save his flock! Definatly a one of a kind! I hope he lives on in his offspring

 

[Kipcha]

Oh gosh, he was such a beautiful boy! I am so sorry for your loss... I had no idea chicken's were so devoted!

 

[MILU]

What a handsome rooster!!!
When I was a child I had a pet rooster/chicken (I don't know, it was a baby when it arrived) and my family got rid of him. It's too sad to remember. All because he'd start singing at 4 or 5 a.m. He was very smart though, I called him by the name (Igor) and he knew me, he knew lots of things. Your Clyde was a very brave rooster, you must be proud of him.
I'm sorry for your loss and hope you're strong.
I don't know much about raccoons, we don't have them here, but maybe a good way to keep them far from your birds would be placing something they eat some blocks away from your home.. so they'd be "entertained" eating other stuff and wouldn't go disturb your chickens..

 

[CCWelch]

I have a young chicken flock (8 weeks) and I always worry about raccoons and snakes. We have a dog that patrols the area up near the coop all the time and he has killed several Raccoons in the past few weeks. We also have a top on our run area to contain the chickens and to keep the Owls and Hawks out.
I have 9 Americauna's I think 3 are roosters and all have beautiful markings but not as beautiful as your Americana Rooster.