I found the culprit!!! Caught in the act!!!

Sorry its a long story!

So when we started getting a lot of rain ( I know its the PNW but I mean an excessive amount) I decided to cover my run on top and 2 sides with heavy plastic so my girls had a dry place to get out of the coop and scratch around and not get soaked....

Well to do this I had to cut 2 holes in the wire covering my run to be able to access the middle for various reasons when attaching the plastic and making it peaked to avoid snow and water accumulation. Since we have never had a raccoon in my yard and I do have a dog who is very aggressive twards them I felt safe leaving these holes open. I also lock my pop door with a childproof and raccoon proof latch every night. After all they were covered by the plastic anyway right??? Well I covered the run and half the coop roof draping it over the other side and tucking it under the ridge to keep water from running down under the plastic an off the roof into the run.

For about 2 weeks now I have been keeping my girls locked in the run for most of the day but letting them an hour or so before dark then locking them up after dark. And every morning I go in to the run to fill fresh water and spread scratch and every morning there is a new nut tucked in their sand at the base of their bush! I was starting to think I was loosing my mind!!! Or maybe my girls just thought it was a small eggs and brought it home? I do have an eggs stealing BR hen...... But even on days I didn't let them out it would be there.....

Then this morning I caught him! A BIG FAT SQUIRREL!!!

The little sucker would always come and fight with the girls over the summer for scratch in the yard... They chase him he runs away, he runs back at them they run away, they decide hes had enough they attack and once got ahold of his tail! He didn't come back around for a while after that.... But hes back and this time leaving them treats!

He runs accross the power lines, down the neighbir's tree across the fence, jumps 3 feet to the side of the coop, runs up to the roof and skirts under the plastic he pulled out then down through the hole I left in the wire. half as@ burries a nut. Grabs a mouth full of food and leaps up their bush and out the other hole, across the roof of the run under the plastic then over the coop roof and leaps the the nearest tree branch! I just sat there staring not sure what to say accept for all the work he did he deserves a bit of their food now ant them if only they could eat the nut he left!