6 chickens missing

[Poticus]

My family and I left the house for a few hours in the early afternoon last week. Upon our return I noticed only 3 hens left. The other 6(including 1 large rooster) had vanished without a trace. I live on 3 acres surrounded by cane fields. It may be noteworthy that the weather was really bad that day and the chickens tend to congregate under our carport when that happens. Does anyone have any idea of a predator that would have been able and willing to take 5 hens and one large rooster without a trace in the middle of the day? I don't want to sway anyone but I'm thinking people. Your thoughts would greatly appreciated. I live in south Louisiana by the way.

 

[bobbi-j]

Do you have coyotes where you live? A few years ago, we had 4 or 5 disappear (including my rooster) in the middle of the afternoon. No sign of any of them except one tail feather from the rooster. A couple of months later, when DH was harvesting corn right next to the barn and chicken coop area, three coyotes ran out of the corn field. We do not live in an area where someone would come steal our chickens. We are rural (nearest neighbors are 1/2 mile away) and anyone who wants chickens has them. Also, my chickens are nothing special - mostly barnyard mutts. One year when we had corn in that same field, all the barn cats disappeared within a week. Coyotes ran out of that field, too, while DH was harvesting.

 

[Poticus]

We do,however I haven't seen one in a couple of years. I initially suspected them, but there were no tracks, and the cane is very short right now, which means they would have had to come out in the open. The coyotes in my area tend to be pretty reclusive also.

 

[3feathers]

Bunch to lose at once. Most preds wouldn't take that many unless there were multiple preds. In my experience with preds, racoon, dogs, hawks, possum, maybe a ring tail; I've never lost multiple at once except to the dogs. But they were left there dead.
I since got a game camera as security for my place and to watch over the chickens. If a human needs to be someplace they won't see it, but it's self contained, motion sensing, night vision (so so).
? Neighboors
? Neighboors dogs (group)
? Something spooked them and they relocated? Any other chickens or Rooster around?
? Spooked and lost in the cane?

 

[bobbi-j]

We do,however I haven't seen one in a couple of years. I initially suspected them, but there were no tracks, and the cane is very short right now, which means they would have had to come out in the open. The coyotes in my area tend to be pretty reclusive also.

I hadn't seen any, either. But we were on vacation and my mom was letting the chickens out to free range every day. Our dog had died a month before, so I suppose his scent was gone. These chickens were taken from a building site. They came in among our shop, machine shed, barn and two coops in the middle of the day. It was dry, so we saw no tracks either.

 

[Poticus]

I don't think they got lost in the cane. The fields immediately near my house are all plowed over and the ones surrounding those are full of short cane. I just got a motion activated surveillance camera so that should help as I believe they were taken under the carport. The amount of chickens taken in a short period has me thrown off as well.

 

[Poticus]

Thanks bobbyj. It was very muddy around the house when this happened. That's another reason I don't suspect coyotes.

 

[bobbi-j]

Thanks bobbyj. It was very muddy around the house when this happened. That's another reason I don't suspect coyotes.

Yeah, you would have seen tracks then. Hope you figure it out.