Periodically we loose a 2-3 weeks old chick. Neighbours suspect a feral cat that is wandering around the place, I can't see how it could get in. Would have thought that this may be a snake?

Look up in the rafters, you may be surprised to see a snake hanging about. We killed three of them recently, and the eggs and chicks have stopped disappearing.

Look up in the rafters, you may be surprised to see a snake hanging about. We killed three of them recently, and the eggs and chicks have stopped disappearing.

Ah. I thought it was a good idea to make a grass roof. It may have to go...

maybe they escaped. lol

Its a feral cat.. they can squeeze in anywhere. They climb wire get in and out and come back for more till all gone. Even had them chasing Fighting chickens off the nest and taking day olds.. The feral cats even take fully grown bantams.. lost over 100 birds this year alone to cats.. seen them in hen house.. they even get paws through gaps in wire and pull wings off the birds..

monitor lizard do this too.

so more wire?

Wire won't keep the snakes out. You have to hunt them down and kill the bastards.

so multiple layers of chicken wire would not stop a snake?

or are you talking about pencil thick snakes?

just wondering, as I would like to have some when I retire to our mountain house when I retire.

I had some chicks in a birdcage with 1cm openings between the wire. The snake managed to slip between the wires, eat one of the chicks, and broke the spot welds securing the wire getting out. He was a bit fatter on the way out!

Impressive snake !!!

Maybe they just took off to Pattaya with the other young chicks

My BiL was complaining the other day about the "stupid ducks" who poke their head through the wire.....only for a stray dog to promptly bite them off!

Regards.

Yeah, these spot welded chicken fences are useless, our neighbour's fighting cock managed to break into our coop and start a serious fight with ours... I saw good old fashioned chicken fencing on Homepro recently and intend to buy. Apart from that the jagged edges are a danger to anyone going in there...

My neighbor lost 3 chickens one night, he came home from work and went

to feed them, bot found this with 3 big bumps, couldn't get out of the pen.

He got moved to new home at some park.

I had problems trying to turn on Night Shot on my phone as this was going

on as I have a vision problem when it's dark, and trying to watch out for him

and yelling at the cat to get out of the way.

1.is looking down the soi and you see Hwy 226. The long shot is him leaving

the dirt moving into the weeds and the neighbor's 80M ahead.

rice555