Chicken Murder Mystery?

[PaddyFarms]

So I have a bit of an issue here.

Thursday night/Friday morning at about 3am, I heard my 4 chickens squawking and screaming. I ran outside to find one of them dead in front of the coop (not a lot of blood, maybe her neck was broken? Wasn't able to stop and find out), one totally missing, one somewhere in our yard, and one in the neighbors yard (Can't figure out how she got over there though, their wings are clipped and its a barbed wire-topped fence. We retrieved her and brought her back home).

So, 4 chickens total. 1 found dead, 1 missing (likely dead?), and 2 survivors.

Once we found the two survivors, we put them back in their coop (which was originally open enough for them to get in and out freely), and covered the entrance with two pallets, and a shovel propped up to keep it closed.

The 2 survivors were in shock, not eating or drinking. We kept them in the coop, closed and barricaded at night.

Saturday morning, went out to check on the two of them. Both there, we closed to coop because no one would be home that day (they had food and water available).

When we got home, THERE WAS ONLY ONE CHICKEN LEFT. But there are no signs of struggle, no blood, no feathers, no holes, and no way to get in and out of the coop. The two pallets and shovel were left the exact same way we left them that morning.

We are at a loss because we initially thought it was an animal attack, but now we are not so sure.
Running theories:
1) Some animal got into the coop, and killed/ate/took the ONE of the survivors. (But how, without any blood/feathers/signs of struggle? AND there are no holes in the coop big enough for an animal to get a chicken out).
2) The chicken got out of the coop (how? again, no holes big enough to allow a chicken to pass through. Plus, where did she go? clipped wings, can't leave the yard, but she was nowhere to be found)
3) SOMEONE broke into our yard (either over a 7ft wall or barbed wire) moved the pallets and shovel, took a chicken, replaced the pallets and shovel just as we left them, and left with our chicken.)
4) Chupacabra.

What is going on!!! Any help/advice/theories would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SonoranChick]

So I have a bit of an issue here.

Thursday night/Friday morning at about 3am, I heard my 4 chickens squawking and screaming. I ran outside to find one of them dead in front of the coop (not a lot of blood, maybe her neck was broken? Wasn't able to stop and find out), one totally missing, one somewhere in our yard, and one in the neighbors yard (Can't figure out how she got over there though, their wings are clipped and its a barbed wire-topped fence. We retrieved her and brought her back home).

So, 4 chickens total. 1 found dead, 1 missing (likely dead?), and 2 survivors.

Once we found the two survivors, we put them back in their coop (which was originally open enough for them to get in and out freely), and covered the entrance with two pallets, and a shovel propped up to keep it closed.

The 2 survivors were in shock, not eating or drinking. We kept them in the coop, closed and barricaded at night.

Saturday morning, went out to check on the two of them. Both there, we closed to coop because no one would be home that day (they had food and water available).

When we got home, THERE WAS ONLY ONE CHICKEN LEFT. But there are no signs of struggle, no blood, no feathers, no holes, and no way to get in and out of the coop. The two pallets and shovel were left the exact same way we left them that morning.

We are at a loss because we initially thought it was an animal attack, but now we are not so sure.
Running theories:
1) Some animal got into the coop, and killed/ate/took the ONE of the survivors. (But how, without any blood/feathers/signs of struggle? AND there are no holes in the coop big enough for an animal to get a chicken out).
2) The chicken got out of the coop (how? again, no holes big enough to allow a chicken to pass through. Plus, where did she go? clipped wings, can't leave the yard, but she was nowhere to be found)
3) SOMEONE broke into our yard (either over a 7ft wall or barbed wire) moved the pallets and shovel, took a chicken, replaced the pallets and shovel just as we left them, and left with our chicken.)
4) Chupacabra.

What is going on!!! Any help/advice/theories would be greatly appreciated!

First off, I'm sorry for your loss. I bet your remaining chicken is quite traumatized, poor thing. This is seriously quite the mystery! And theory number 4 made me chuckle...just in time for Halloween. Somehow, some way, there must be some sort of entry/exit hole. You would be surprised at how the biggest, fluffiest chicken could squeeze through (or be pulled through) a hole the size of a baseball. Check the ground especially for holes or soft, weak spots. I don't think your chckens would be escaping, especially over night. Plus with clipped wings they can't go too far. For these reasons, it seems like an intruder. The fact that the third chicken disappeared with NO signs of blood or feathers gives a clue that something is coming into the coop, and literally chicken knapping your birds. What type of critters live in your area? It sounds like something that flies, or something that goes through the ground like a snake or mole maybe? If only your surviving chicken could talk!! Good luck

 

[PaddyFarms]

First off, I'm sorry for your loss. I bet your remaining chicken is quite traumatized, poor thing. This is seriously quite the mystery! And theory number 4 made me chuckle...just in time for Halloween. Somehow, some way, there must be some sort of entry/exit hole. You would be surprised at how the biggest, fluffiest chicken could squeeze through (or be pulled through) a hole the size of a baseball. Check the ground especially for holes or soft, weak spots. I don't think your chckens would be escaping, especially over night. Plus with clipped wings they can't go too far. For these reasons, it seems like an intruder. The fact that the third chicken disappeared with NO signs of blood or feathers gives a clue that something is coming into the coop, and literally chicken knapping your birds. What type of critters live in your area? It sounds like something that flies, or something that goes through the ground like a snake or mole maybe? If only your surviving chicken could talk!! Good luck

Thanks for the input! This is all very spooky; my remaining chicken is living in a horror movie! I live in Tucson, AZ, so definitely lots of possible predators. My initial thought was a bobcat. I've also seen raccoons around, so that's a possibility.
I swept the dirt around the coop, and put baby powder down, so (hopefully!) anything that tries to get into or around the coop will leave some kind of track.
In the morning I'll head out and have another look at the coop for soft spots and holes big enough to allow chickens to pass through.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Very sorry for your loss and the mystery. One thing that we have done is install 2 wireless security cameras. We bought 2 at Costco, one for a door into our garage and also shows our boat and then decided it would be fun to have the other camera in the coop aimed at the 2 roosts. This allowed us to see who was roosting where and to count the girls to make sure they were all in when the automatic door opens and closes.

We had so much fun watching the girls that we bought another camera and have it aimed at the nest boxes. We now can see who the slackers are!! I would assume that these would show any intruder as well. We also can use the cameras to check up on any chicken sitter we would use to take care of the girls if and when we leave them alone! Sort of kidding with the checking up on friends, but- - -.

Again, sorry for the deaths, we know that this is way too common when raising chickens but sure hope we can avoid the trauma of a loss.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so very sorry! What a mystery! When @SonoranChick mentioned SNAKE, bells and whistles aent off gor me. Ding! Ding! Ding! Just can’t figure out what else could get in and out, taking a whole chicken without a trace if there are only tiny openings. Weasels can get into small spaces, but I have no idea what kind of evidence the do or do not tend to leave.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

I'm going with theory number four.

 

[SonoranChick]

Okay now I'm totally freaked out I live just north of Tucson. Let me know when you catch the chupacabra

 

[MINDANAO DAVE]

The powder idea is good. But there just has to be some place what ever it is is getting in and out.. Just got to be. Check flooring some time some will burrow underneath and you may not notice. Put a baby monitor in there so you can hear if anything is bothering your hen. Leave a light on so the chicken can see as they see nothing in the dark. If you don't figure it out just leave a radio on and hope for the best.

 

[PaddyFarms]

so bad news. we went out to the coop again to have a look around and see if we were missing anything. thats when we noticed footprints on the roof of the coop, along with marks in the dust where a chicken obviously struggled and flapped around.

we have come to the conclusion that a stranger/intruder has done this.
It seems that they climbed up onto our roof, made their way to the backyard, and hopped down onto the roof of the coop (not a far jump). From there, they killed a chicken, stole another, and two days later returned to take a third.

I hate that this is the conclusion we have made, but i see no other possibility, now that we see the bootprints and chicken struggling in the dirt.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

so bad news. we went out to the coop again to have a look around and see if we were missing anything. thats when we noticed footprints on the roof of the coop, along with marks in the dust where a chicken obviously struggled and flapped around.

we have come to the conclusion that a stranger/intruder has done this.
It seems that they climbed up onto our roof, made their way to the backyard, and hopped down onto the roof of the coop (not a far jump). From there, they killed a chicken, stole another, and two days later returned to take a third.

I hate that this is the conclusion we have made, but i see no other possibility, now that we see the bootprints and chicken struggling in the dirt.

How awful. So you mean a human, not an animal predator, may have done this?

Be sure to file a police report in the morning. I don't understand the pallets, though. You don't have a door on your chicken coop? I'm glad for the reminder to get locks for the coop door. I installed two large sliding latches that have room for a lock to block the bolt from sliding. I don't trust predators of any kind, furred and pawed or otherwise.

How are they climbing on your roof? I'm so sorry this is happening to you. When you retrieved the chicken from your neighbor's yard, they didn't hear anything the first night this happened?

It's all so odd.