Devestation in the chicken coop, so many losses

This morning at 5:20 or so our neighbour phoned to tell us that she was hearing a ruckus in the chicken coop. Our bedroom is at the back of the house and the chicken coop is in the front. DH ran out to check (in his boxer shorts) and there was a huge black bear massacering chickens and ducks right and left. The bear had broken into the coop by removing the sash ...and the window and climbing in (it had no trouble climbing the 7 ft fence to get into the yard) Of course chickens are defenceless beacuse they cant see in the dark, not sure if ducks are night blind or not. The %@##!! bear got 3 ducks our older male Khaki Campbell, a young Khaki female and our beautiful, loveable Pekin duck Cameron (we thought at first that she was a Welsh Harlequin). The chicken losses were our Lavender/Blue Orpington pullet, a very friendly Black Jersey Giant pullet, 2 cuckoo marans, 2 Light Sussex pullets, 3 Isa Brown production birds that were loved. We are so devestated. Losing these birds leaves a big gap, not just for us but for the birds that were left behind. Our area is getting so wild, we alsmost suffered a loss on Monday when a coyote in the middle of the day grabbed a Cuckoo Pullet less that 10 feet from our house. If DH hadn't been home, and shouted to drop the chicken, she would be dead now....instead of missing some feathers and a gash in her side but seems ok.

This is my rant I guess. I am sad and angry. Because of all of the clearcutting above the highway, the animals; coyotes, bears and cougars are fleeing to the more built up areas like ours. There is no taking of responsiblility here. We will spend the day mourning our missing girls and drake. I will miss the honk that Cameron (Pekin) made as we went to the yard to feed them, I will miss them all.

Oh that's so sad. I'm sorry for your loss.

My sister lives in Roberts Creek and has a coop with 3 hens too. I wonder if they've had any trouble.

Sending hugs.

I hope that your sister has better luck than us. We love our birds, they are more to us "city slickers" than just birds. It was so horrifying and I am so angry. The bear was NOT hungry, it did not eat any chickens or ducks, it just pulled them to pieces, it would be different if it was starving, I could still feel horrible for each one but it would have killed for a reason....there was no reason for this devestation. We have decided to put up barbed wire as we have been told that electric fencing doesn't affect the bear, that they can't feel it. Again. Thanks for the thoughts.

I am so sorry cuckoo. That is terrible and I too would be devastated. Such terrible news. Electric fencing should work if it's a powerful enough voltage and there are enough wires strewn across. Also a couple of big outside dogs would help.

There is a good chance that bear will be back tonight or very soon.

Your signature line showing your dear lost ones crossed out is heartbreaking.

Bears. Keeping a bear out is like keeping a bulldozer out. My experience with bears is they go into the pen (break and enter) to find out what's in the feeders. If they happen to find chickens or anything else, well hey, bonus! But here, bears go after easy food and number one on that list is scratch.

If you find yourself living in bear territory these are the guidelines I follow: for the summer months NO SCRATCH AT ALL! Do not even have it on the property. Bears go nuts for corn and it is not worth the damage to structures or loss of chicken life to have scratch hanging around. I've had them rip a buildng to shreds to get to the chicken feed stored inside. They are not as crazy about lay pellets, but like to snuffle through them and eat a few before they decide, meh, not that great. It really is the scratch they go after.

Rule 2, NO FOOD IN THE HEN YARD OVERNIGHT! Feed just enough so that your feeders are empty by night. Any feed, even the lay pellets they don't like, will give them an excuse to break in. Anything I put out for the birds, pellets or scraps, has to be gone by night.

It got pretty bad here this summer, to the point we left the yard door open so the idiot bear could go in wihtout ripping the door down over and over. We also took the feeders out of the pen and threw the food, just pellets, on the ground. Used to be when she came in and found the feeders empty, she'd toss them around for a while before leaving. Dented up the feeders. Not only will a bear kill a bird if it stumbles upon it, but they are so darn destructive too.

You have my sympathy. All predators are a problem, but bears, in my opinion, are the worst. And not being designated hunters, like coyotes, they usually kill out of convenience rather than desperate hunger. Thanks to bears, I am buying eggs at the grocery store. I am so sorry, I hope they move on soon.

Oh..put honey on the coyote wounded bird. Bite injuries can be very small, but very deep and infection is a threat. Dig through all her feathers very carefully looking for the puncture wounds and when you find them, pack them with honey.

Oh, no, you must be feeling just horrible. I think most of us know that feeling of the loss of birds due to predation, it sickens the soul. Roberts Creek and surrounding areas are hugely full of bears. I was chased by a mamma bear when when were camping at the Roberts Creek campsite the summer before last. I didn't even know she was after me until my siblings told me that there was a two dogs when I was running for my life when I heard her growl. It was dark, and I heard her as I was walking down the camp road, turned tail with my dog. The other dog they saw in the low light was a bear running too . Lucky I can run so fast I guess, surely I would have been gone that night, and my big dog too. Be careful, the Sunshine Coast is full of bears, you know that, watch yourself too. Still try to find something good in this day, look at the birds you have left, they will make you smile. CynthiaM.

We have put the window back in the coop, with even stronger, longer nails, we have put heavy wire on the window with long srews, not nails and washers (might not stop but will slow him down and give us time). Have ordered electric fencing (where we live there is no stock, always have to order and wait). Last night the chicken yard and coop looked like a garage sale. Ladders baring windows and doors, empty cans piled under the window. A radio playing BBC (probably kept the neighbour awake as sound travels). Bicycles and anything we could think of as a deterrant. Hope fully this will at least deter the bear. Called about a gun licence and was told that couldn't get one as we live this side of the hydro lines....will wildlife Conservation come with a trap for big ugly murdering bear...No, it's your problem, after all you have chickens....Crossbow anyone?