2 hens dead within 2 weeks!

[<3ChickenForever]

2 weeks ago when I went outside to go collect eggs and I noticed A LOT of feathers everywhere. I knew it was way to much to be mating... so I waited that night and counted all the chickens and they were all there except one. So we knew something got it. I was thinking dog or fox.
Then yesterday when I went to go lock up the chickens from free-ranging I only counted 23, we are suppose to have 24. And I didn't see any feathers anywhere so I thought maybe she went somewhere else to roost.... Just 5 minutes ago I went out with my brother into this little forest of pine trees and I saw a whole bunch of feathers again! No guts, no blood, or anything... just feathers.
What was weird was that these hens were independent ones, they liked to go off by themselves without the roosters.
I can only think of a fox or dog got it... any other predators in mind? If so how do I trap them?

Thanks in advanced!

 

[colebarnhart]

Dogs would usually just kill it and leave it, but not always the case. It could be any number of different predators, even the usual night time predators have been known to make day time appearances if an easy meal presents itself. If you insist on letting them free range then you'll have to trap whatever it is, but it's hard to say what kind of trap you need since you don't know what you're dealing with (i.e. a coyote won't fit in a raccoon size trap)

 

[<3ChickenForever]

Quote:
We have had a dog kill 2 of our chickens before and it carried it off and left only feathers. But it was our neighbors dog.