Humans

Date sort Score sort
tlow

tlow

Hatching
5 Years
Oct 24, 2014
2
0
7
I have been raising two chickens since this may and went to do the morning routine today and found one was missing. Upon investigating there is no evidence that there was a predator attack. There are no feathers, no signs of forced entry, no holes or gaps at the bottom of the coop or run area. They were in there just fine last night. My coop is relatively visible and in a high traffic area with no locks or anything to keep people out. Being the naïve person I am I never assumed that I needed to protect against theft.

With no evidence of a kill or anything are humans more than likely the cause of my missing chicken?
 
tlow said:
I have been raising two chickens since this may and went to do the morning routine today and found one was missing. Upon investigating there is no evidence that there was a predator attack. There are no feathers, no signs of forced entry, no holes or gaps at the bottom of the coop or run area. They were in there just fine last night. My coop is relatively visible and in a high traffic area with no locks or anything to keep people out. Being the naïve person I am I never assumed that I needed to protect against theft.

With no evidence of a kill or anything are humans more than likely the cause of my missing chicken?
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome.
I wouldn't jump to the human conclusion (not unheard of, but least likely imo) just yet. Knowing a bit more about your enclosure would help. There are lots of predators who are able to make entry into coops/runs that owners feel are "predator proof" or "totally secure" and leave nary a sign they were ever there. Perhaps you can take pictures of your setup and post them so we can get an idea of what may or may not be a possible scenario to explain your loss.
 
Very sorry for your loss. Many of us have had chickens disappear without a trace. After I had lost a couple and could not figure it out, I set up a motion sensor trail camera to film what might be happening. I was amazed at the results. On a nightly basis, raccoons would visit the coop, trying to get in. I also found out I have bobcat coming around from time to time. A coyote showed up one night, as did deer and bears. I have never seen most of these animals in person on my property, but I have pics, so I know they are there. You might be facing the same type of thing.

What is your coop made of? What type of wire fence do you have? What about the latches on the door to the coop? All of these can be weak spots that we may not realize can allow a predator to gain access to the coop. As suggested, pics would be helpful.
 
First off I would like to say that a neighbor three blocks away located the missing chicken in his front yard and returned it to me today!!!
Second I have an A frame structure the run on bottom and the nesting box/coop top. The whole side of the top part opens up fairly easily and I am working on putting some latches on that part so that it can not be opened as easily. Also I found some extra fencing and I think I am going to try and burry it around the edges to keep from burrowing in.
 

Similar threads

S
    • Like
The mystery killer... (warning: gross details but no picture)
2
Replies
16
Views
2K
McChooky
McChooky
L
Predators
Replies
1
Views
624
BigBlueHen53
BigBlueHen53
M
    • Like
Please help identify this predator
2
Replies
10
Views
2K
lagrange chicks
L
B
    • Sad
Quail attack. Prevention ideas?
Replies
6
Views
373
Babyquail
B
HeathenHavenHomestead
    • Sad
Chickens Vanishing
2
Replies
17
Views
2K
PopoMyers
PopoMyers

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom