Chicken's missing

[Steven Bussell]

Sounds like someone is stealing your birds. Call the cops and have them make out a report that someone is stealing your "Livestock". It used to be a hanging offense, but today it still carries a lot of jail time. A couple of years ago in the local news, a guy got 20 years for stealing livestock, 5 chickens and 2 piglets!
If you see someone in your yard again at night without knocking first, fire a couple shots in the air, then call the cops!

Please don't advise people to fire warning shots up in the air.
Two reasons why its not smart.
If things go bad you may need those 2 rounds
Its not safe if you have neighbors near by.

 

[two j farm]

I'm so confused now. I had 12 laying hens and 2 roosters that free range. Well one rooster, 2 hens and 1 chick is still missing but now I have 10 more hens at my house.

I have a small pen that I let my one week old chicks out in part of the day. Well this morning when I was taking the chicks outside I had 10 hens in the pen. This pen had nothing in it last night. And this chicken are not mine. What the hell is going on? If someone didn't want them I would have took them no questions asked. What should I do? Oh and a bag of feed was out there too.

 

[sealer39]

Are you sure your not stopping by the Daiquiri shop on your way home, then stopping by TSC, then getting hungry and cooking yourself some good fried chicken or gumbo? And you just don’t remember it.


(I’m being serious now)
You really need some security cameras. Sounds like someone is swapping out bad/unwanted chickens for yours then taking what he wants from you. Those birds don’t look to be in very good shape, check them well for mites or anything else. Again, report this to the police. At this point, I’d start driving around looking for my chickens. Whoever is doing this can’t be that far away.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sounds like your thief got rid of the evidence ... and may have implicated you in the process. Call the police and report this! Someone is looking for those hens.

 

[two j farm]

I live out in the sticks and I called around to see if anyone is missing any chickens. One woman came by and looked at them because she is missing 4 but she said this aren't them. I called the same officer that came out the other night. He said he would check around to see if anyone made a report.

I have some deer cams that I have to get new batteries for tonight after work. Hey and I just may get that drink after the day I have had lol.

They chickens are missing a lot of feathers and they smell like something dead. I really don't even want to handle them because I have a lot of small chicks right now.

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

Oh I just got to follow to see how this turns out.

 

[two j farm]

Just found out a lady about 3 miles from me has 9 rare breed chickens missing. Happen sometime last night. She made a report on it.

I have some breeds that are hard to find around here but they are locked up and only come out when I'm out with them. The ones I have missing are easter eggers and one white Leghorn. The lady that came here has easter eggers and Oliver eggers missing.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Wow. Curiouser and curiouser!

 

[MROO]

I live out in the sticks and I called around to see if anyone is missing any chickens. One woman came by and looked at them because she is missing 4 but she said this aren't them. I called the same officer that came out the other night. He said he would check around to see if anyone made a report.

I have some deer cams that I have to get new batteries for tonight after work. Hey and I just may get that drink after the day I have had lol.

They chickens are missing a lot of feathers and they smell like something dead. I really don't even want to handle them because I have a lot of small chicks right now.

Smelling like something dead sounds like coccidiosis. Regardless of who they belong to, I'd start treating the whole bunch with Corid. It's not too expensive and you add it to their water. That should be the only water they get for five days. After that, give them fresh, unmedicated water and add a poultry vitamin to their feed (or water.) The vitamin replaces what the Corid starves out of the sick chickens. Do NOT give them Corid and vitamins at the same time. You'll cancel out the meds.
Keep your receipts. If the chickens get reclaimed, you can get your money back, or justify keeping them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Smelling like something dead sounds like infection - Do you notice any coughing/sneezing/runny eyes or noses? I think I would also try looking inside the beak of a few of the "new hens" just to see if they have something like canker. If they do, then get rid of them.

After you examine any of these hens...don't go tend to your chickens afterward - change clothes, put those in the washer, wash your hands and ideally rinse off the bottom of your shoes with a little bleach water.

hmmm...not trying to sound paranoid.