baby chicks gone/older chick no head

[tiki244]

I had some baby chicks taken during the day a few weeks back. One each day for three days and then I moved them to a more secure location. Apparently mama wasnt able to protect the babies. Now mama and chicks are in the big coop with the adults which I dont like to do, but have to to keep them safe.

Today when I came home I found a body of a 9 week old chick with no head over by the little coop. This happened in broad daylight. The coop is in a field and the grass is about 6 inches tall or more. I have lots of mole tunnels.

I don't know if this is related, but i think it is. Last year I had something living under my big coop and took a couple older chicks and one was half eaten and half dragged under the coop. Last fall I sealed the perimeter of the coop and tried to do the besy I could with the floor patching holes. Once I saw a brown animal walking through the grass/weeds and I wasnt sure what it was last summer. It didn't move real fast but fast enough I couldnt catch it. In the winter I found one tunnel out and put a bunch of rat poison there with a box over it. In the spring I found a skeleton possibly could have been a dead rat had long teeth.


Does this behavior sound like a rat? What can I do? I cannot take the whole coop down. And have no way of going under the coop. How come I never see rat poop? Could it be something else?

Thanks

 

[mi chicken]

rats dont move in the daylight mabe a mink.

 

[tiki244]

I have a bunch of mole tunnels in the yard and maybe something else is using the tunnels. There are larger sized holes around the place to come up from under. Now my chicks are pretty much confined to a tiny coop. I aven't been able to fence for the last couple days because of the rain.