Curious what took chickens

[Laceykk]

Doesn’t it figure I am home literally all the time during quarantine but leave for a few hours and chickens go missing. I was gone from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. I came home and checked on the chickens. I have two separate fenced in coops. I had let the right side one free range as I do many days. They were all in their coop and fine. The other fenced in coop not so much. For whatever reason, most roost on a goat feeder outside and always have. Tonight I found them inside the coop but the rooster has a bloody face (otherwise okay) and two hens are missing (a polish and a Maran). No sign of struggle. No feathers. Nothing. Clearly everyone is scared since they are inside. I am thinking flying predator but two chickens? What happen to the rooster? Did whatever try to get him or was he fighting to help? Any thoughts? Now I need to figure out how to keep them safe. There is no way to cover it. It’s a very large area. So sad

 

[CindyinSD]

People. Just my intuition, but I'm betting someone who ought to know better did this.

 

[chicken_girl2007]

not sure what took your hens and attacked your rooster, but very sorry that happened.

 

[rod5591]

Very sorry that happened to your birds!

 

[KydenFarmsAsh]

I going to suggest coyotes a first but now I'm unsure. I'm sorry about your chickens hun.

 

[Laceykk]

Thank you for being there! I have two dogs that roam and protect but at that hour, they may have been napping. They stay up all night. People could never get there without the dogs losing it. I was hoping the rooster injury might be a clue? I’m leaning towards owl, especially because I thought I heard one last week.

 

[Laceykk]

Does running fishing line across deter flying predators? Definitely way too big for netting. I think I need to keep all chickens in for awhile. The problem is the coop with the missing chickens is smaller and there is a hen brooding and due any moment now. I’m afraid one of the hens or rooster will step on the chicks if cooped up together when they aren’t used to that snd it’s not even meant for chickens. I don’t want to move them to the other coop and lock them in. Afraid they will fight for their hierarchy while in a coop. Then there’s the rooster that I can’t move to a coop since he has injuries and the other coop has a rooster too. Ugh.

 

[KydenFarmsAsh]

Does running fishing line across deter flying predators?.

My husband and I use plastic poultry netting from Lowes. It's like $28 for 400sq ft. Hawks are terrible in our area.

 

[kitchenwdinah]

Sadly, whatever it was will be back because it was very successful. Foxes, Cats or Owls. Losing two at the same time is weird. Two predators? A Bobcat took a whole chicken from my coop once. We found feathers about 40 ft from the coop but nothing else. My neighbor 5 house down saw the cat bury the chicken and told us, which is how we found out.

 

[Laceykk]

I’m very worried about that - the return. I’m daylight, I’ll check fence but I saw nothing and it would be hard to get past dogs. I keep thinking owl but two? Then tried for the roo?