You were lucky this time. Often times predators lurk and you won't see them and they will hit when you least expect them. I would put up a game camera. I was surprised at the predators that roam here especially at night but we are rural. I have netting covering my pens, electric wire around my coops and pens concrete under the gates and in some places welded wire buried under the fence. Everything was done due to losses from predators in the past. My original netting wasn't quite large enough to completely cover the pens so I bought some netting to cover the uncovered area. It wasn't what I thought it was and turned out to be crappy netting. I had an owl go right through it and kill some birds. I move the birds from that coop and pen to another one and put a camera in that pen. I have since replaced that netting.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
