I think I have a bobcat problem

[bushmaster06]

We have a flock of chickens and had a few turkeys, but our two hens are gone and the tom is missing a bunch of feathers on his breast and there is what looks like at least one small puncture in the big bald spot. I saw a decent sized bobcat run across the road around the time the turkeys went missing, and there is one that a game camera picked up. The camera was set up about 75 yards behind our chicken yard so I know that it's been close at the very least (it also took pictures of six bucks and a hog). I know the turkeys didn't hop the fence because I keep all of the birds' wings clipped and there are no holes that they could go through. This all happened after I took down their fully enclosed sleeping area, but before I finished the new one (that's done now and the tom puts himself to bed in there).

I've used a live trap and caught a couple of raccoons and put a camera inside the chicken yard and it's taken pictures of another raccoon and a possum, but no bobcat yet.

How do I go about getting rid of this bobcat?

 

[diggler1833]

I had a big raccoon take five chickens out of our pen one night. I thought it might be a bobcat too at first until I put a game camera on the pen and caught him trying again two nights later. I have several bobcats on camera in my area too, but no photos near my coop.

I set up a couple dog proof traps just below the pen and caught at least four raccoons over the next couple weeks. The attempts to break into the pen stopped, so I figure I got the culprit.

I'd just keep trapping raccoons and see if it doesn't ease up your problems some. Best of luck.

 

[TinkerTanker]

Coons and possums can both cause the puncture and de-feathering. We had a possum sneak in our coop and kill 8 pullets. Didn't even eat them, just slaughtered anything he could catch. Needless to say he's fertilizing the garden now.
I'd set a trap and start thinning the herd.

 

[swampratt]

Trap it or shoot it.
I will say this on the bobcat they are really good to eat.
My wife said they taste like wild turkey.
If you skin it the flesh looks like skinned chicken.

 

[mr ed]

Nobody traps anymore and so the populations are getting out of control.

 

[turkeyrun]

Get you a Great Pyrenees dog. Big, friendly, awesome hunter and guard dogs.
We lost 100 chickens in a week. Got the dog and haven't lost one.

Bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, possums, skunks, all love chicken.

 

[bushmaster06]

Get you a Great Pyrenees dog. Big, friendly, awesome hunter and guard dogs.
We lost 100 chickens in a week. Got the dog and haven't lost one.

Bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, possums, skunks, all love chicken.

Getting one of those has been talked about, I’m just not sure that the juice is worth the squeeze.

 

[bushmaster06]

Coons and possums can both cause the puncture and de-feathering. We had a possum sneak in our coop and kill 8 pullets. Didn't even eat them, just slaughtered anything he could catch. Needless to say he's fertilizing the garden now.
I'd set a trap and start thinning the herd.

We also had a possum get into the coop and it ate a laying hen and made the mistake of taking a nap when it was finished eating. It too became fertilizer.

 

[turkeyrun]

Getting one of those has been talked about, I’m just not sure that the juice is worth the squeeze.

I had lost 2 calves to coyotes, before the chickens.

Juice was worth way more than the squeeze. No losses in 6 years.

 

[bushmaster06]

I had lost 2 calves to coyotes, before the chickens.

Juice was worth way more than the squeeze. No losses in 6 years.

If I had livestock like cattle then absolutely, but this is just a few dozen birds to keep us in tasty eggs. My wife’s aunt has a Great Pyrenees for her goat herd and that dog loves killing coyotes.