EMERGENCY!!! My silkie is gone! Please HELP!!!!

At about 11 this morning my chickens were making a lot of noise and I ran out to hush them and my black silkie, Luna, was gone! Below the door to the nest boxes there was a lot of her feathers and I can't find her anywhere! There wasn't blood or anything and we think we heard her under my neighbors porch but she was not there when we looked. How far would she go? We she come back tonight? Did a hawk get her? Please help me she was my favorite little baby

I'm so so sorry, the only time I found chicken feathers with no blood, near the chicken coop/under something, was when it was a fox or a bobcat. There could be a possibility she could come back, and I hope she does. Silkies aren't the type of chicken that can get away fast, because they don't have the best feathers, just fluff. Does your neighbors have any predatory animals? I'm so sorry again.

JerseyGiantfolk said:

I'm so so sorry, the only time I found chicken feathers with no blood, near the chicken coop/under something, was when it was a fox or a bobcat. There could be a possibility she could come back, and I hope she does. Silkies aren't the type of chicken that can get away fast, because they don't have the best feathers, just fluff. Does your neighbors have any predatory animals? I'm so sorry again.

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One of my neighbors has an outdoor cat. It's illegal to have it roaming around to other people's yards but that cat goes everywhere and if she killed my Luna I won't hesitate to report her. They are nice people but that will never be ok. How far would a chicken go? I thought she would stay close to the coop where the others were but I checked down the street and in the cul-de-sac behind us and I couldn't find her.

A lot of feathers you say? I've had silkies taken by hawks leaving lots of feathers.


Rare but not impossible for a house cat to kill a chicken... to carry it off... dunno about that. I have a colony of strays that have never touched my silkies, even when the silkies were only 4-5 weeks old and easily eaten. Think most cat issues are with large feral males who are starving.. and it is very rare,

silkiechicken said:

A lot of feathers you say? I've had silkies taken by hawks leaving lots of feathers.


Rare but not impossible for a house cat to kill a chicken... to carry it off... dunno about that. I have a colony of strays that have never touched my silkies, even when the silkies were only 4-5 weeks old and easily eaten. Think most cat issues are with large feral males who are starving.. and it is very rare,

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My chickens chased our cat, the one who chased our cat a lot was soon killed by a bobcat, she thought it was our house-kitty..

Yes, I've been having hawks swoop down into our trees, and watch the chickens, sometimes kill a starling or two. They'll even drop to the ground and walk around, I have seen.

silkiechicken said:

A lot of feathers you say? I've had silkies taken by hawks leaving lots of feathers.


Rare but not impossible for a house cat to kill a chicken... to carry it off... dunno about that. I have a colony of strays that have never touched my silkies, even when the silkies were only 4-5 weeks old and easily eaten. Think most cat issues are with large feral males who are starving.. and it is very rare,

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It wasn't a hawk-sized pile. She was in the coop and got lost out the nest box door so I don't think it was a hawk. I think the latch wasn't closed all the way and she got pushed out by the other chickens or pushed it open and fell out by herself. It opens up so it would have been hard for her to do that but I don't see what else could have happened but that or a predator. Once she was out, if it wasn't the work of the cat, a hawk could have gotten her but I don't see any very large piles of feathers anywhere else. I just don't know what else to do at this point. I don't hear her and I haven't found any other feathers and I don't think she would have gone farther than how far I looked. The only other place I can think of is the field behind my house so i'm going to look there next but if she isn't there I think she's gone. I can't put up fliers or anything because I keep my chickens illegally and I would get caught and lose the other 2 and pretty much my ability to keep chickens forever while I live here and she still probably wouldn't be found. I just can't believe this happened. Monday's are bad enough and just 5 months ago on a Monday, a week after I got Luna, I lost my favorite hen, a BR named Tipsy, at 9 weeks to an unknown illness. I haven't even had chickens for a year and i've lost 2 I might as well give up before I kill the others too.

I moved your thread from Emergencies/Diseases to Predators since it was not a health emergency.

I hate to say it but it sounds like a possum or even a raccoon. I've caught possum in the coop just recently. I set the live trap and took care of it.

So sorry you lost your chick!

She's gone We looked all over the neighborhood for her and in the field and we didn't hear her or see any signs. I can't believe it. I need to change my signature to 2 now. One I gave back the other killed. I lost 2 quail in 2010 to a possom or raccoon. The next year I saw him in my backyard and threw firecrackers at him but he didn't leave. If I ever see him and have enough time to grab my 22 he's going down.