Can someone please explain my chicken soap opera?

[suzannaski]

I'll be brief (I'm supposed to be in a meeting right now!!)
Last night my newest hen died for no readily apparent reason. She wasn't ac30ting different, and she wasn't crop bound, and she had no external injuries. It's like she just died in her sleep in the nest box. She wasn't even old enough to lay yet.
I thought I let the remaining flock of 1 roo & 3 hens see her before I buried her. My roo was watching over the other hen when she was laying an egg around 3:30 today. Then at 6 pm, no roo anywhere in sight or in hiding. No feathers to indicate a fight or a predator. Just *poof* gone.
What the heck????
Is he out looking for the dead hen? But he left the rest of the flock. He usually doesn't even stray because before I got him a few weeks ago, he was always cooped. He hasn't really gotten used to the idea of wandering outside yet.
Whaddaya think is going on?
I'm so sad, I've lost 3 of 6 chickens in one week.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I think you have a predator.

 

[suzannaski]

yeah, but my hen died overnight inside the coop. I'm not ruling out predator, but why aren't there any feathers from the rooster?

 

[Ms Ellen]

Don't forget to look up in the trees (low branches anyway) he may have figured out he could fly up there and roost. Otherwise it could be a bird of prey. One tried to carry away my NN hen but wasn't strong enough and ended up dropping her. She was fine except for a gash in her neck.

 

[Finn's Mom]

Snake?

 

[Lbrad7]

That would have to be on BIG snake! I am betting on a coon, that that is the problem, then you had best get a trap set asap.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Could your hen that died in the coop have had her neck broken by a predator? Some internal injury maybe? I am so sorry for your loss. Maybe she was scared to death? Poor thing.

 

[MareeZoCool]

If he was searching, he'd be crowing his beak off.( mine does!) Maybe the hens went on strike, and are hiding away from the extra loving the roo is bound to give the remaining hens.