Chickens keep disappearing

[littleredhen00]

We've had about 4 chickens just disappear, all we've found is feathers but no bodies over the past month or two. We have three dogs but we know for sure they wouldn't hide the bodies or kill the chickens. We live in North Carolina near Greensboro and ive seen Turkey vultures, foxes and raccoons near our house. What should we do to prevent more of the flock from disappearing and what do you think is getting them? They have a coop they go into at night and we're not sure what time they disappear they are free range and we live in the country. Found a small hole in the run and put center blocks on the inside and large objects on the outside till we can make further repairs, the hole was about a foot and a half long that the chicken wire had rusted away, we haven't had any disappear since we blocked it off but still worried. Last one disappeared about 3 weeks more or less ago. Any tips would be great!

 

[SueT]

We lost 2 to unknown predator in the daytime. Probably a coyote since we've seen them in the daytime. Any of those predators could take a chicken, but the bigger ones could carry one off quickly leaving only feathers. You probably have hawks too.
We had to stop free ranging, and beef up our run with heavy wire. They'd been free range for a year, and now are confined for the rest of their lives. The replacement chickens don't know anything but confinement.
There are informative threads on predators you might want to check out.

 

[Flock In Texas]

Security cameras are best, but they are expensive and sometimes too remote. A game camera might help. Put out some bait and have the camera take pictures. Once you figure out what you are dealing with, you can get or build a trap for it.

1. Secure your run.
2. Find out what you are dealing with.
3. Take no prisoners.

 

[Howard E]

The same thing happened to my daughter's birds last year. It was a fox and it kept coming back until it got them all. They were cooped up at night, but free ranged during the day. All were lost during the day. Small pile of feathers where the bird was killed, but no bird remains. They leave with them.

So you leave them cooped up in a tight safe run, alway...... or build a tight perimeter of electric fence. You can trap and kill the fox, but another will take it's place.

Shame that is the way it needs to be but reality is that is the way it needs to be. Varmits like chicken.