8 chickens disappeared, 1 found dead

[GoodStuffMaynard]

Our 11 chickens free range during the day on our 4 acres of wooded land.
They always come back around 7pm, hang out in the backyard for about an hour and then put themselves to bed around 8pm

Around 7, there was only 3 chickens in the yard, our 2 roosters and our only Easter Egger

My husband and I looked through the woods, calling but couldn't see or hear the other 8 chickens anywhere.
As we were walkimg back to the coop, we saw one of the younger ones dead by the gate of the chicken yard.
No blood, no feathers missing and no feathers on the ground near it.

We searched around the area some more and didn't find anything.
No sign of an attack, feather or blood.

I kept checking to see if the others had come back but it is dark outside now and they are still gone. We closed up the coop with the remaining 3 in it.

They've been free range-ing for over a month now and this is the first time anything like this has happened

What could have gotten 8 chickens?
Is it possible the others are just hiding?
I'm really hoping at least some of them come home in the morning

 

[Percheron chick]

They were probably spooked by a predator and scattered. Without piles of feathers or bodies, I would expect some of them to be waiting outside the coop when you get up.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

If you have coyotes in your area, they will snatch and run off with them. They can come in packs or alone. I've also seen a fox snatch and run but with so many missing I'm thinking it's a bigger than a fox.
They seem to have been out there a long time foraging so no telling if what ever got them didn't go back and forth picking them off.

 

[GoodStuffMaynard]

I'm hoping they will be!
My favorite of the 11 is one of the ones missing :/

They were probably spooked by a predator and scattered. Without piles of feathers or bodies, I would expect some of them to be waiting outside the coop when you get up.

 

[GoodStuffMaynard]

If you have coyotes in your area, they will snatch and run off with them. They can come in packs or alone. I've also seen a fox snatch and run but with so many missing I'm thinking it's a bigger than a fox.
They seem to have been out there a long time foraging so no telling if what ever got them didn't go back and forth picking them off.

We put our dog outside on his run around 5 pm, which was also around when I noticed I hadn't seen the chickens in a while.
I know he would have barked if he saw anything like a fox or coyote while he was out there, so I'm thinking it was earlier in the day.
Also the coop and where we found the dead chicken isn't far from where the dog was, only about 100 feet from him.
We've lived on this land for almost 3 years and have never seen a fox or coyote, at least not during the day, it's entirely possible they come around at night though.
Its just so weird, I wouldn't have thought a fox or coyote would attack during the day

 

[tsperry88]

I’m really sorry. We had a really bad year as new chicken owners. I raised 19 and lost 12 of them over 2 attacks. Each time I could only find feathers for 1. My property is full of dense woods with tons of good hiding. Despite searching for hours, I never found a single hiding chicken. My belief is they got picked off the night following an attack, as they never came home. I lost a lot of favorites. Foxes do hunt during the day, especially when they have young. I hadn’t seen them either, but recently saw 2 in my yard. Currently I am raising little ones to replace the ones I lost, and I now have a secure run.

 

[keesmom]

Its just so weird, I wouldn't have thought a fox or coyote would attack during the day

They definitely do hunt during the day, especially if they have young ones to feed. Both can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Last year a fox took a dozen birds in the middle of the day, a few years ago coyotes wiped out an entire flock.

I'm not sure that's what happened in your case, but it is a possibility.

 

[tsperry88]

I actually just shot one next to my coop. It was about 8:30am.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

We put our dog outside on his run around 5 pm, which was also around when I noticed I hadn't seen the chickens in a while.
I know he would have barked if he saw anything like a fox or coyote while he was out there, so I'm thinking it was earlier in the day.
Also the coop and where we found the dead chicken isn't far from where the dog was, only about 100 feet from him.
We've lived on this land for almost 3 years and have never seen a fox or coyote, at least not during the day, it's entirely possible they come around at night though.
Its just so weird, I wouldn't have thought a fox or coyote would attack during the day

Predators that live around humans are opportunistic; they don't care what time of day it is as long as they can get a meal.

 

[Sonya9]

I live in a rural area with lots of coyotes. Because there are very few houses and NONE have chickens I have never had a problem. My birds only free range 2-3 hours a day in the main fenced yard around the house.

When the neighbors talked about getting chickens I told them the coyotes had never been a problem BUT if people start letting their birds run loose all day the coyotes would discover they are a food source and then all the chickens in the area would be at risk.

If free chicken dinners are offered wildlife will take up the tempting offer.