Chicken Thiefs?

[bbRedMom]

Here the situation. About one month ago, all my adult chickens went missing from a seemingly impenetrable coop. Never the less, I move my momma and chicks into my storage room in the barn, across from the goats, and have been working like crazy to shore up any holes, loose fencing, anything that could allow anything in. I refortified the doors, added some solid roofing over the wired in top, and added on another layer of that heavy black chicken wire on the inside and the outside of the coop. There is a concrete foundation all around the outside, and if I need to, I'm going to lay down some more.

Aint nothing getting into my coop! Or so I think.

The chickens have been back in the coop for a week now. I've checked on them every day, morning and night. All is well. There is one hen, 3 pullets, and 4 roo-lings.

I go out this morning-I'm short a roo. No other chickens are missing, hurt, nothing. There is no pulled up wire, holes dugs, dirt disturbed, nothing. No feathers or dead bodies.

I'm so mad.

Now, I've got some less than desirables living down the street from me, and kids drive their three wheelers all the time in the wood down from my house. When the chickens were in the barn, they were inside my 5' fence "guarded" by my goats. Now they are just outside it.

I think someone stole my chicken(s)!

So tonite, we are having locks installed, with one way only screws for the hasps. As in, I'm gonna bore out the SOB's. Than, if they continue to go missing, I'll know it was something else.

Any advice, and has anyone else had this happen, especially in Central AR?

 

[Davaroo]

Get one of those wildlife cameras, like deer hunter use and mount it out near the coop. Catch the perps in the act.

 

[horsejody]

I would call the sheriff. That way if you do catch human thieves in the future, there is a record of past incidents.

 

[blurose]

Definately, have a sheriff deputy out to take a report. Explain the situation to him/her just as you did to us, even your suspicions. Install the locks and in the process of the investigation the sheriff deputy just might find your missing chickens on someone-you-suspects' property, if they didn't eat them. How many chickens went missing at once? They might even have the evidence in their freezer, although proving it without the feathers might be really difficult. Anyways, you'd have it on record for the future. Crime is crime, even chicken stealing. Once upon a time a chicken thief when caught would have his hand cut off, and we all know horsethieving was a hangin offense. It still is in some places cause they never bothered to rewrite the old laws.

 

[bbRedMom]

Well, I put a lock on the door last night, and re-re shored up any places a varmit could possibly get into. And as of this morning, I still have 7 chickens! So, who knows.

I need to call the sheriff anyway on the kids riding their 4-wheelers at midnight in the woods. Totally dangerous, and totally freaks my dogs out.

Is it bad that the only upside I can see to this is that at least it was a roo and not a hen?

 

[bbRedMom]

Well, it has been over a week since I put the lock on, and I haven't lost a single chicken!

I called the Sheriff, but because I dont have any direct evidence it was a person, they couldn't do anything. He did think my goats were nice

So the beast-ards got away with one, but no more! Haha!

 

[ninjapoodles]

Oh, wow, since *I* am from central Arkansas, I hate to hear this! I agree about the gamecam, though. It's not terribly expensive, and you wouldn't believe the things you can catch on it! They're motion-triggered, so you just set it and then check the memory card every once in a while.