Fisher Seen in Forest Home

Andy Galloway reported activity believed to be by a fisher a few days ago.

Over the last year we’ve had repeated deaths of our chickens, brutally committed (of course), and two nights ago our last two chickens were killed with injuries showing a very effective but small-headed predator: one chicken killed for the attacker’s pleasure had only a fist-sized deep hole in the breast and the head cleanly bitten off. So, not a racoon or fox. We can see a small fence opening that the animal used to enter the chicken’s hutch.

It could be a weasel or a fisher, which is considerably larger than a weasel but related to it, and very dangerous to small animals including pets. Late last night we believe we saw a fisher come up from the hillside near the trail off Warren then enter the water culvert at the bottom of Crest Lane. That was about midnight. Our chickens were killed in the early evening, maybe as early as 7 or so, but last year one chicken was fatally (and again almost surgically) maimed in the middle of the night, clearly by the same predator.

We want to let neighbors know because these animals can kill cats or small dogs. It seems to be very settled in this area since these attacks took place over the last year.