Missing baby chick - cat?

[Petra Pancake]

@centrarchid, we are only half in suburbia, road and houses in front but actually our back garden fades out into the hill country with bushes, grass and rocks. Foraging seems to be fine - since my chickens free range they have almost stopped eating layer feed. They just nibble at it and then speed off into the landscape, apparently to find tastier treats. They also look better since they free range - somehow glossier. Predators - lots of feral dogs and cats, very occasionally foxes and sometimes buzzards. I do have containment problems, there are several reasons for it. One is, I fell a victim to chicken math. My original plan was to have 2 or 3 laying hens. Now I stand at 7 hens, 2 Bantam roosters and 8 baby chicks. I just enlarged the coop and run bit by bit. That's why it's a "frankencoop". Which leads to the second reason - building and fencing material is very expensive here. So I mostly use scraps. Electrified fencing would be possible but way too expensive for me and I've also got 3 unruly toddlers at home whom I don't want to get electrocuted every time they run behind the house. Third problem - all my chickens are rather flighty and excellent flyers. One of my hens flew 5 meters high in a straight line - she almost reached the top of our neighbor's roof, missed it by just a few centimeters and slammed into the wall (both wall and hen had no lasting damage). I'll keep free ranging them over the summer if I can but for the winter, no doubt, I need a second coop or totally redesign the first one. I'll also have to cover the run completely by then to get them fresh air but keep them in.

 

[centrarchid]

You may also be dealing with snakes that would target chicks. My birds also very strong fliers although not flighty since conditioned by frequent interactions. Roosters will still fly up 5 m plus to crow from power line and they will fly a couple hundred yards to avoid walking through high grass.

Hotwire may not be as problematic you think. Charger is the pricey part. I was raised around it as have my two kids. We get zapped once in a while but no real harm done. You can also put it on coop / run so it is not overly visible yet stops predators probing the structure.

How do the locals keep birds in nutrition when grains directed more to human consumption? My games on female side and juveniles until recently got almost all nutrition by foraging. By recently, I mean until the last 40 years. I still try to get females and young up mostly on forages.

 

[Petra Pancake]

How do the locals keep birds in nutrition when grains directed more to human consumption?

Sorry, I didn't quite understand the question. What's that?

I don't rely on foraging alone but still offer them layer feed and vegetables - only they leave a lot of it over now and clearly aren't fond of it so I've reduced the amount. Last winter, when they were cooped up because of the avian flu warning, they lived off the layer feed entirely and always ate it up.

 

[Chickassan]

You could always set up s temporary critter zapping fence with wire and a car battery. Had to do it years back when possums were taking the heads of my game chicks.It might actually kill your predator though, those possums were stone dead not playing possum.

 

[GGBEAR]

I think others have ate it

 

[Petra Pancake]

I don't like to think it, but maybe @GGBEAR is right. This morning, the two remaining chicks were still with their mother and the flock. I searched again for number three, but no trace anywhere inside the coop. No feathers, fluff, little bones or blood. No signs of anything being dragged out forcefully, also not at the 1.5 cm hole - nothing. No signs of anything going in forcefully either. Also, I've got a big dog cage next to the coop with my other broody and her 6 chicks, they were completely unharmed, and I'd think a predator would go for them first because they're more exposed. So, maybe chick no. 3 has really been, um, eaten for dinner by his flock mates... I suspect the rooster. He's been very aggressive towards the chicks all the time. They're good at avoiding him but maybe he got that one anyway. Maybe I'll swap him, the jerk. My other Bantam rooster who has only one hen is much friendlier (don't know how he would be with chicks, though).

 

[NotSoChickenLove]

Is it possible that it got left outside, and then eaten?

 

[GGBEAR]

MEN (sigh).................

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Is it possible that it got left outside, and then eaten?

That's what I'm thinking. Is OP 100% sure all 3 chicks were in coop previous evening? I do a head count every evening, even chicks.

 

[centrarchid]

Balance of flock did not eat. Rooster would be last to do it. How about chick got taken during day before you noticed it was missing. It could have even been sick and lost bond with flock. My check time is when birds come on to roost after dusk as head count easiest then. Secondary head count at dawn like this morning when birds still on roost. Once birds come down off roost and start moving about, too many to reliably count. That further complicated by them ranging over several acres / hectares with lots of bush.