9 chicks disappeared in a matter of a few hours

[vincehick]

Earlier this week we lost 9 of our six week old chicks without a trace.
It had to happen between the hours of 1pm and 5pm. Only thing I
Can think of is either a family of foxes or a murder of crows. The crows
That that live around here are very large and many of them.

Today I discovered a skunk den under my shed which is near the coop
So now I'm curious if it's them.

Any help would be great! Thanks!

 

[bantamofopera]

I have heard of skunks being bad predators from others (someone who adopted our old flock told me that's the worst pest in their neighborhood). Not sure if they would leave a trace or not, but I don't think they'd be out on the hunt during the day.... I don't think crows are usually a problem, but Ravens can be. They make a sound a bit like a crow but more hoarse. They flew over our babies when we first let them out at the same age, making a blood-curdling croak. So we only let them out under strict supervision now. The ravens make quite a racket, so if you can, let the babies out while you are watching them and see if they start circling. 6 week olds are so vulnerable! My thought is that they should only be out supervised or in a covered run, but maybe I'm just paranoid!