Lost two Roosters to Predators this Month

With the lack of people and cars around campus and the city, predators are becoming more common.  Early in the month in one week's time, we lost two roosters and a hen. We lost PIP the black Maran rooster and Rockstar our Polish rooster.  We also lost one Barred Rock hen. They were attacked by, my best guess a raccoon.

I set up a camera in the coop and try to set it up each night. So far I have caught images of an opossum, a cat (twice), and in the late journey's to the coop a raccoon. One day Mrs. Cavarez had an encounter with a Coyote. At the time all the gates were closed this happened at 8:45 AM.

We lost another hen this week. It did happen on a night when I had not closed up the coop.  I was unable to find any markings on her, nor was there any evidence of a struggle. IE feathers were strewn about.  But based on the video footage from the night before which I looked at after the death, there are many predators visiting the coop each night. This past week we had an opossum, cat, raccoon, and a coyote.

I ordered a new automatic door for the coop to ensure the door gets closed every night!

We lost PIP and Rockstar.

PIP, to date, was the most prolificate rooster we have had. Almost all of our flock carries his genes. He was a black-feathered rooster with black legs. All of his hatchlings were hens. We did not get one black rooster from him.  Unfortunately, I was never able to verify that he was a pure Maran. All of the offspring provide us with light blue and light green eggs, which is a possible genetic outcome, but not verified. At the time we did have some blue laying hens, so it is possible that he did in fact carry the brown egg gene. Brown plus blue would make the green egg outcome. But the Brahma rooster G1, could also have fathered as well, as he was a brown layer too. But since all of the hens in question were black feathered and black legs we feel confident that PIP was the dad.

As far as we can tell Rockstar was not well-loved by the hens. Rockstar was our oldest rooster.  Rockstar came from an employee of the La Verne Heritage Foundation. He was our first main rooster, but when G1 became an adult he took over. G1 left Rockstar alone, it was PIP that constantly fought with Rockstar, to the point I had to put Rockstar in his own pen. Rockstar would stay off to the side and leave everyone alone. Rockstars' image has become the logo of our farm.

 

PIP (RIP)

 

Rockstar (RIP)