So we’re down from 18-19 layers to about 8 as of this evening.
The parents have been away visiting my brother in Colorado for a week, and some critter has taken full advantage of their absence. I tried to be around as much as possible, but checking in from 30 miles away isn’t exactly a workable situation for an whole week. There were others who checked in on the days I couldn’t be there.
I got the call on Saturday that there were 3 dead hens in the yard that afternoon. Their heads were chewed off, but the bodies pretty much untouched. To me, that says dogs. On Sunday I found a few clumps of feathers out in the pasture. And today, there were a few clusters of feathers in the upper garden.
Nothing in the live trap. The two farm dogs haven’t had much effect on the predator(s). (They aren’t the chicken eating type, they’ve had ample opportunity for years)
This is starting to get aggregating.
