An North Central Phoenix man believes a bobcat is responsible for killing ten of his 20 chickens.
Greg Peterson and his wife woke up one one morning and found dead hens strewn across his yard.
“There were feathers all over the place. Eight of the hens looked like they didn't even get damaged they were just dead. One of them was partially consumed and one of them was missing,” said Peterson.
Peterson lives off Glendale Avenue and has been raising chickens and growing fruit in his backyard for more than 20 years. He says it’s the first time any animal has ever ventured into his “urban farm” and attacked his hens.
We spoke with Arizona Game and Fish about the possible bobcat attack. An expert says the scene does match when the animals go into a “kill mode” and attack any fleeing animal as if for sport. But there’s no history of bobcats popping up in the neighborhood.
"You know these are wild animals and they're going to do anything they can to get into the food. So we can only do the best that we can do,” said Peterson.
Peterson isn’t going to take any chance going forward. He’s in the middle of rebuilding the coop, which has walls made of old political signs. Also, chickens will now be locked in the coop overnight.
According to Peterson, others with chickens in their backyard have reported random killings.
Game and Fish says if you think bobcats, coyotes or raccoons are picking off your pets or livestock, motion sensor sprinklers are a good bet to keep them away. You should also make sure that no water and dog or cat food is left out overnight.
