Could a Hawk Carry off HUGE Rooster??????? ROO VANISHED

[Brick243]

I've also heard of hawks picking up and flying off with small dogs.

 

[hippie]

when ever a hawk kills one of mine, they eat a bit of it to lighten it up before they fly off with it. i would think there would be a pile of feathers or signs of a struggle somewhere.

 

[emilyweck]

So sorry about this. I honestly don't know what it could have been. I'm in your neck of the woods and have been trying to figure out a predator that is capable of that......I just don't know. How high is your fence? What is it made of?

 

[azelgin]

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I've also heard of Bigfoot and U.F.O.s, but until I see it with my own eyes, I'm not buying it.

 

[Eduardo]

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I thought it could be this also, people see a beautiful rooster and they grab it. It happened to a friend but he raises fighting cocks so they are pretty valuable.

 

[chanda]

Not that this helps, but, as a rookie chicken-raiser, I had raised 55 mutt bantams a few years ago and refused to turn them out. (We live in the country, and our property is not fenced in.) After much contemplation, my MIL convinced me to turn the chickens out during the day and to put them up at night. Her reasoning was that they'd get to hunt for insects, scratching around--they'd be happier. Since I had other chickens that I STILL refused to release--raising them for meat and eggs--I thought I'd could "spare" the bantams. By the end of one week, we had 2 bantams left, then they disappeared. (Before you ask why I waited so long, I had decided to get out of the "bantam business" at the time--we wanted dual purpose birds--so having them eat insects in my flowerbeds was a bonus. If they raised while free-ranging, that would've been GREAT!) It got to the point that I started getting predators INSIDE my other pens during the day after I had lost all of the bantams. After trapping 1 stray dog, 3 possums, and finding coyote scat, we finally put a roof on all of our pens. That's the only way we keep our birds alive.

I envy you all for being able to free range your chickens. It's just not possible here.

Hope you find out who the culprit is. Best of luck to you.

Chanda

 

[Little Chicken Farmers]

Thanks for all the ideas....... I am really at a loss as for what it was... Maybe I am just nieve but I really dont think we have that many predators around the area I am at. I mean at night we have Racoons and such but not during the day....I have never seen a coytoe around....and again during the day my dog is out ....and he wouldnt hurt a fly as long as he knows it belongs here. It is all really open farm land around us.... not forested at all. Our property is surrounded by 5' tall horse fence (2x4 mesh). We live on a private dead end road with only 2 neighbors. I dont think any person took him. They would have to come in and get past the dog. Our dog was out... ( I am 100%he had nothing to do with it) and the chickens were just milling around the yard. We were both home at the time and didnt see or here anything. Litterally he vanished..... no sign of feathers/body/blood/ anything. So far the hens have been ok during the day. They are locked in there very secure house at night.

..... and I MUST be crazy.... because I brought home 4 more chicks last night from Coastal>>>>>> Its my coping mechanism for my grief ...LOL

 

[Little Chicken Farmers]

UPDATE>>>>>>>>>>>>> Neighbor found a pile of red feathers and what he thinks was coyote droppings around it..... I guess maybe one came up and grabbed him a dusk or at night?? We are good about closing the coop up but maybe Hubby didnt one of the nights I was working..... HMMMMMMM

 

[ChickenDogDuck]

This time of year coyote are feeding their young and we see them quite often during the daylight hours. We are located in the foothills of the Coast Range, south west of Salem.
Here is one I caught walking away with one of our B.Rocks exactly one year ago today at around noon:

 

[ChickenCat]

Darn Coy! We're covered up with coyote here. My catahoula dogs line up along the yard fence when the coyotes are howling close by. I mean close. I've stepped out the back door and the coys just keep on barking til I return with with the spotlight and rifle. The coys hate the spotlight, even with a red lense covering it.
We have 5 acres that the chickens will be allows to free range soon. Luckily, all of our fence lines are electrified and will keep coyotes out. I just hate to see a chcken zapped!!!!