- Jun 10, 2011
- 15
- 0
- 22
so i came home from work last night around 6:30 and my three hens were missing! i let them free range in the daytime and usually leave the light on in their coop since it is typically dark by the time i get home, at which point i turn the light off for them. they have been free ranging for 6 months now in a completely fenced in, acre backyard. a couple months back, our rooster disappeared without a trace, but we were both away on business at the time and someone else was watching the flock for us.
there is a mating pair of coyotes that lives in the woods behind the house, but i checked the entire perimeter of the fence and there are no holes or gaps where one could have entered the yard. no to mention, if a coyote HAD gotten into the yard, there would be some sign of a struggle, right? feathers or blood? i searched the whole yard as well as some of the surrounding woods this morning and saw NOTHING. not a feather, no blood, no carcass. a definite coyote highway through the woods, but i already knew that.
additionally, when i got home, my dog went nuts - he was running/pacing the entire perimeter of the yard, his fur on his back standing straight up and growling. he has done this before when i have seen the coyotes through the fence, but it was dark and i couldnt see anything.
could the hens have flown over the fence and wandered away and gotten lost? they have flown over the fence before and ended up in the front yard, but they always return at night. should i go search the neighborhood? could the pair of coyotes have taken all three without leaving ANY trace?
should i bother hoping to ever see my chicky ladies again??
there is a mating pair of coyotes that lives in the woods behind the house, but i checked the entire perimeter of the fence and there are no holes or gaps where one could have entered the yard. no to mention, if a coyote HAD gotten into the yard, there would be some sign of a struggle, right? feathers or blood? i searched the whole yard as well as some of the surrounding woods this morning and saw NOTHING. not a feather, no blood, no carcass. a definite coyote highway through the woods, but i already knew that.
additionally, when i got home, my dog went nuts - he was running/pacing the entire perimeter of the yard, his fur on his back standing straight up and growling. he has done this before when i have seen the coyotes through the fence, but it was dark and i couldnt see anything.
could the hens have flown over the fence and wandered away and gotten lost? they have flown over the fence before and ended up in the front yard, but they always return at night. should i go search the neighborhood? could the pair of coyotes have taken all three without leaving ANY trace?
should i bother hoping to ever see my chicky ladies again??