Losing Chickens

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chicken1998

chicken1998

In the Brooder
Dec 5, 2016
7
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15
Hi I'm new to raising chickens I've had mine for about 6 months. I started with 10 and now I have 8. Two of my chickens have disappeared on different occasions, no feathers or blood and no chicken. I don't know what could be getting them it's almost as if they just wondered off. But both times my other chickens were beyond scared and hid under my car. We let them free range because their coop isn't as big now that they're huge. I don't if it's a hawk or if it's a fox. Anyone have any ideas on what it could be or what happened to them?
 
Most likely culprits are hawk, owl, dog, fox, coyote. Could be other things depending on where you live but around here, those are the things that likely wouldn't leave a trace behind.
 
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Losing birds to predators is the downside to free ranging. Do you have a covered run they could spend their days in?
 
Hi, welcome to BYC!
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Sorry for your loss.
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I was under the impression (domestic, maybe not stray) dogs hunt for fun. And would go after all the chickens until they were gone but not carry the prey away. My dogs would leave a terrible mess. Dogs usually shake their prey, I would think that would leave some feathers.
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So you don't have a fence either?

Since they were hid under your car, I'm gonna have to go with aerial predators because all ground predators could probably make it under there.

How far apart were the occasions? A fox would return often for an easy meal.

I think some owls do hunt during the day... And I don't know the MO for hawks if they leave anything behind or not.
 
As for hawks, it depends on the size of the hawk and the size of the chicken. A hawk picked up a full size Wyandotte here one day, flew about 100 yards and dropped it into a courtyard. It went down to try to pick it back up or eat it when someone scared it off. I couldn't find a mark on the hen.
I've seen Great Horned owls hunt during the day the last few years and they can definitely heft a chicken.

You're right that dogs usually do it for fun but a feral dog that is hungry, will more likely react like a coyote or fox and take it off to feed. Also, the bird may have run off and by the time it was caught, it was somewhere that the OP couldn't find the carnage.

I also agree that hiding under the car could indicate and aerial predator.
I wonder if the OP has any vegetative cover.
 
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Hello there, and welcome to the wonderful world of Backyard Chickens! I hope you will make yourself at home here and enjoy it as much as I have! :frow
 
G’Day from down under chicken1998
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Welcome!

I wish the circumstances in which you joined us were nicer and I am so very sorry to hear of your loss
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I agree that it sounds like your predator could be aerial.

I hope you enjoy BYC; not only is it overflowing with lots of useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures about chickens, turkeys, duck, quail, Peas and pretty much any other feathered and non feathered friends
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