This summer I have lost 2 birds. 1 an adult silkie rooster and the other a 7 week old white sultan. Both in different coops and both were found on top of a hole in the ground that was not there 12 hours earlier. The hole is barely large enough for a ground squirrel and the interior of the hole appears to be a bit wet. There were no visible wounds on either bird, just dead. The sultan was still barely alive when I found it this morning and appeared to be almost drugged. Coming in and out of awareness. It died moments later. There were feathers as if there had been a struggle in both cases. I am located in central Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. I would really like to know what is causing this and how to stop it. Any suggestions are welcome! These holes are inside of a coop with both wood and wire going down into the ground several inches.
