I think my chickens might have been eaten

[Dario]

So my chickens frequently hop the fence and roam the hill right next to my house. I bring them in every time I can but sometimes I don't see them. They always come back, though.

Today, however, I saw a coyote and wanted to make sure my chickens were ok. Two of them were missing. I looked everywhere for them and can't find them.

It's now dusk and they haven't come back so I'm assuming they were eaten.

Is there anyway to confirm this? Do they lose feathers when they get eaten by a coyote or what?

And if they didn't get eaten, is there any possibility that they just went a bit too far and didn't make it home on time, so they roosted somewhere else?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally a coyote will snatch a chicken and take it off somewhere to eat it. They will often eat most of the bird. Sometimes you can find feather piles, and sometimes not. If you don't see your chickens by tomorrow I would consider them lost. Keep the rest locked up as coyote will keep coming back for more.

 

[chickencheeper]

There will be piles of feathers if it was a coyote. They may have just run off or be roosting somewhere

 

[chickencheeper]

Tomorrow scour your property looking for signs of attack(scat feathers blood) or the chickens themselves, if they haven’t already returned then they may have been eaten, but if there is no signs of death then you can ask around maybe put up flyers

 

[CntryBoy777]

When chickens are targeted and are scared they will head for the nearest cover and stay there....quiet....until they feel it is safe and will then come out, so I'd look around first thing in the morning at the closest shelter they could get too. We had one that was snatched by a coyote and I found some feathers, so we thought she was gone. My wife handles the chickens and she had to go to them to get the rest back in the yard....they were in 2 different places and there was 1 missing. I looked everywhere I could and never saw her....about an hour later she was running around the fence looking for a way back into their yard....so, my wife went down and let her back into the yard....she was fine, but had lost some feathers. She was molting, so I think the loose feathers helped her to get away and left the coyote with just a mouth full of feathers....
Hope ya have a similar experience and they return safe....a bit shakened, but safe....

 

[Dario]

When chickens are targeted and are scared they will head for the nearest cover and stay there....quiet....until they feel it is safe and will then come out, so I'd look around first thing in the morning at the closest shelter they could get too. We had one that was snatched by a coyote and I found some feathers, so we thought she was gone. My wife handles the chickens and she had to go to them to get the rest back in the yard....they were in 2 different places and there was 1 missing. I looked everywhere I could and never saw her....about an hour later she was running around the fence looking for a way back into their yard....so, my wife went down and let her back into the yard....she was fine, but had lost some feathers. She was molting, so I think the loose feathers helped her to get away and left the coyote with just a mouth full of feathers....
Hope ya have a similar experience and they return safe....a bit shakened, but safe....

God I hope they do return.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If you have a rooster his crowing acts like a beacon to guide wayward hens back to the walk.

 

[CorvusFarm]

Having been through several rounds of coyotes with birds that, like yours, would fly over the fence to forage, I will echo what was already said. You should consider either raising your fence or clipping the feathers so the chickens can't fly. The coyotes will always come by now, looking for an easy meal.

Best wishes.

 

[BYC910]

Start hunting coyotes and cover your runs . Coyotes will come closer and closer to your flock looking for a easy kill .

 

[CorvusFarm]

Start hunting coyotes and cover your runs . Coyotes will come closer and closer to your flock looking for a easy kill .

If you cover the run, you don't have to hunt the coyotes.