Disappearing Chickens!!!

Chickypoo20

Hatching
6 Years
Jun 12, 2013
5
0
9
Minnesota
We started out with 31 chickens ( Buff Orpingtons, Production Reds, and Black Austrlorp) Some didn't make it so we were down to about 28. About a week ago we started noticing that we were missing some of the buffs, and some reds.... then a couple days later we were down to 3 buffs. We have no idea what's happening to them, one randomly showed up back in the coop so we now have 4. What type of predator would come in during the day or snatch them up??? Please help??????
 
Fox, coyote, bobcats are all 'snatch and run' predators that can take birds with little disturbance, and they frequently hunt during the day. You might consider penning your flock up until you resolve the problem. Now that the buffet has been discovered, the predator will continue returning until all are gone. Good luck.
 
Fox, coyote, bobcats are all 'snatch and run' predators that can take birds with little disturbance, and they frequently hunt during the day. You might consider penning your flock up until you resolve the problem. Now that the buffet has been discovered, the predator will continue returning until all are gone. Good luck.
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I'd call Turtleman.
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Thanks for all the help! Sorry I wasn't specific bu my hens aren't fully grown yet. And we just found out we have two eagles nests around our farm. Also we have guinea fowls so wouldn't they help with predators??
 
I had guineas, and they disappeared along with my ducks and chickens, so they are just as vulnerable to predators as any other bird. Sorry for your losses. I second the notion of keeping them in until the predators move on. I went with electric net fences, and this has kept the predators at bay at the cost of limited free ranging. It is a trade off I can live with to keep the birds safe.
 

Here is an example of the protection that your chickens can realistic expect from a flock of guineas.

The whole idea behind guineas is to bring the chickens' owner running at high port arms anytime he or she hears a GAR (God Awful Racket) coming from the chicken yard. Then it becomes the chicken owners' job to do his chickens heavy fighting for them.

However like a tree falling in a forest when no one is there to hear it, if you do not hear the GAR coming from your guineas they never made a peep.

While eagles definitely will kill chickens, bald eagles much prefer to snatch up any dead fish they find floating on the water.
 

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