Any idea on this predator?

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

we gave my SIL 4 about 15 wk olds and they've been doing well until last night she forgot to lock the coop back up :/ and this am they found 2 missing (their favorite) and black feathers leading towards a wooded side of their property (it took one black and one yellow), then found an area with yellow feathers just everywhere! All over! But no meat behind, blood, nothing?!

My hub did say that there appears to be a fresh good size hole in the ground freshly dug...is this probably a fox? Raccoons would have been more messy I would think...coyotes don't dig holes but guess it could be a coincidence...any thoughts? We're in FL...

 

[chickensnewtome]

Foxes are known to do this but with the door unlocked and no remanants I would say stray cat. Same thing happened to me not to long ago. Thankfully it only got one.

 

[KrazyChromatics]

that sounds like a classic fox/coyote now your problem is that the predator got a reward from your coop, at this point if i were you i would bait him with a tethered bird or one in a cage and wait with a gun...

 

[brairgirl]

Not sure about the hole. But when our dog got one of our chickens she tore it up, but all there was was feathers, she ate all the bird. Then she went back to eat the feathers... But I think it was probably a coyote or a fox.

 

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

They don't have a dog but doesn't say it wasn't a stray dog or cat...I don't think it was a cat bc whatever it was was fast and meticulous! They "think" it either went in coop and climbed up ladder (birds roost in trusses) or got thenm early this am RIGHT after they flew off roost BUT the rooster was still puffed up and clearly upset when they walked out and Found them missing fairly early :/

There going to set a trap and keep them locked up for sure now but scary thing is even if they let them out for a little a bobcat or fox could get them during the day too :/ now that they know dinner is there. Poor babies...