cannibal chickens or ninja rats?

[nessalc]

I'm not only new to backyard chickens, but chickens in general! My oldest is shy of 4 months, and two new babies this week. I have a very secure run, so my babes have been housed out there from the start. The coop is covered on the food and back by thick plywood, has three sides in secure chicken wire and even the bottom is covered in chicken wire. There's several roost poles of different height throughout and I see most of the chickens (6 total) use them during the day. At night they seem to all want to cuddle together on the floor of the coop. I have chicken run outside the pen that they have access to during the day, but get locked in the coop at night.

So, this morning, my newest youngest chick was found with no legs and it's head chewed off (and completely missing). I'm at a loss as to what has done this. I have searched every inch of this coop and can find no weak points where a predator could have gotten in. No signs any have even trie. I also live in an area of Arizona where the only wildlife I see are stray cats and the occasional ground squirrel. Is it possible the other chickens ate this chick? Or do I have ninja ratsthat I just cannot detect at all? I'm so new to this chicken owning, it feels like a personal failure that one of these wee ones has died under what I thought was a secure enclosed area.

 

[chooks4life]

Hello and

What do you mean, 'ninja' rats? All rats are ninjas. Just like all cats. Ok, maybe not obese domestic ones...

Quote:

I'm not only new to backyard chickens, but chickens in general! My oldest is shy of 4 months, and two new babies this week. I have a very secure run, so my babes have been housed out there from the start. The coop is covered on the food and back by thick plywood, has three sides in secure chicken wire and even the bottom is covered in chicken wire. There's several roost poles of different height throughout and I see most of the chickens (6 total) use them during the day. At night they seem to all want to cuddle together on the floor of the coop. I have chicken run outside the pen that they have access to during the day, but get locked in the coop at night.

So, this morning, my newest youngest chick was found with no legs and it's head chewed off (and completely missing). I'm at a loss as to what has done this. I have searched every inch of this coop and can find no weak points where a predator could have gotten in. No signs any have even trie. I also live in an area of Arizona where the only wildlife I see are stray cats and the occasional ground squirrel.

Rodents can go through very small gaps, though, and chicks without mothers, specifically those from hatcheries, are often easy targets for them. If they'd been chicks who had mothers then lost them, they'd have more instinct and would be more likely to evade or even attack the rodent. You hear of some quite large birds from hatcheries falling prey to predators a normal and smaller bird can defend itself against, or avoid. Instinct and life experience differences, I guess.

I don't believe so. If they had, the guts and eyes are the most likely things to be missing. It's very hard for a chicken to remove and consume a skull and legs; in fact given that none of them are even adults I would think it's so slight a possibility as to be a non-possibility, lol.

Don't feel bad, many on this forum have built Fort Knox variations for their chooks all to no avail. I use something much less secure but do tend to check on them at night, specifically on those certain nights when you get a sense it's just right... lol.

Best wishes.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Not only can rats fit through small gaps, they will also tunnel right under the wall and up into the coop. They are sneaky. The tunnels can be undetectable under a good layer of shavings.

Your small chick would be much safer inside in a brooder or in a solid bottom cage in the coop....

Sorry about your chick.