Someone let my birds out!

[Jeff]

Now I'm angry....

Went out to feed and water the birds and there were approx. 50 less birds than I had.  2 pens had to have been opened by a person, an animal could not have done it.  The pens had hasp type closures with spring loaded "locks".  There were no bird remains found and the pen doors appeared to be open a little with the locks in place.  The doors are a very tight fit and I had them shoved in, they were a little pulled out, but not open.

Now I'm left with 20 birds with a hatch going on now.  I'm really disturbed, my new Hitachi drill and other tools were next to the pens and not touched.  The chicken pen was not opened, only 2 quail pens.  The 3rd pen still had all the birds.  This weekend I'm going to get keyed locks for the pens, and borrow a friends trail camera to put above the pens.  Hope the turd tries it again..... 

On the bright side, all the stray cats are getting good meals.

[Reeves]

Sounds like kids ?

[slider]

Sounds like you need to put a lock on them.

[kingwolf]

i kind of agree about the kids part how close are your neighbors? can they see the pens? or can you see them from the road?

it also could be just some animal activist  who let them out and tried to make it look like the latch didnt latch good enough or something like that but the locks and trail cam is exactly what i would have done also

why do people have to be like this 

[Jeff]

Went and got locks today, should be getting the trail cam monday. 

the pens can't be seen by neighbors or from the road.  The one neighbor likes the idea of me raising quail, he's an avid hunter and has animals.  I'm thinking kids roaming the neighborhood.  The pens are in my barn in an old horse stall, door to stall open to the outside for cooling and light.

[smallfarmTN.]

Well, that sucks. Sorry to hear that Jeff. Do you know the kids in your neighborhood? Getting to know them and making friends with them is the best way to get them to stop, other than a mine field around your coops.

[wpalmisano]

Well, that sucks. Sorry to hear that Jeff. Do you know the kids in your neighborhood? Getting to know them and making friends with them is the best way to get them to stop, other than a mine field around your coops.

    Um, another good way might be to kick their ---es. At 10 bucks a bird, that's a lot of money. Locks are a good idea, so is the trail cam. Once caught, they should be forced to cover the damages. A parent is legally liable for his child's misdeeds. In any event, you are on private property, so ......rock salt.

[Jeff]

Since the locks, no lost birds!  Woohoo!  On another note, buddy cannot get his trail camera to me just yet, it's at his hunting lease.  I did find shoe prints around my cages, around an 8 or 8 1/2.  No pry marks on the cages yet.  School has started now and nothing, no problems.  I'm guessing it's kids and they are not staying out late to get into trouble.

[kingwolf]

have you been able to recover any birds? if it were my property i would wish they would come back and i would be lying in wait with my paintball gun and i would have shot the crap out of them