missing chicken:(

[annabananaandfamily]

I have been so proud of our new "chicken compound" and was so happy to move the bigger babies (about 5 weeks old) out into it. I was trying my best to slowly introduced them to their Cochin flockmates and apparently they decided I was going to slow and they climbed out of their pen and in with the cochins (Roofus T. Rooster and Bertha Mae). They were all snuggled up together and happy, So I guess they knew what They wanted!
Chicken life was good for them. But then yesterday afternoon o went out to check on them and one of my little babies was missing! I called and called, offered treats, looked over, under, on... EVERYWHERE!!! But no luck. I thought she might come back over night, but no luck there either.
My poor little one seems to be gone: (
And no matter how hard I try I can't figure out how she got out! I've searched for teeny tiny holes, little escpaes tunnels high or low.....I can't figure it out!

 

[Farm_Maven]

Oh No! Hope your little one comes back home!

 

[Pretty Birdie]

So sad.

I hope she comes back.

 

[sourland]

Be especially vigilant until you figure this out. Sounds as if a predator may have taken the chick.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Quote:
X2: my first thought was "snake"...

 

[toripeeps]

Did your chick ever come back? I am missing one of my 6 month old plymouth rocks. She has been missing since Sunday evening and I don't want to give up hope that she will come back on her own. No predators that I know of in the area. They only free range in evening when we are home otherwise they are in their run which is predator proof. I was so upset I couldn't sleep worring about her.

 

[AraucanaMad]

i know who you feel, in the span of an afternoon my oldest austrolorp hen ( she was nearly 9yrs old) went missing, have been finding feathers everywhere since

 

[toripeeps]

Well, since that post I have lost a total of 6 chickens, 4 plymouth rock hens, 1 bantam hen and a bantam rooster. Seems their run was not predator proof afterall. We kept them in their run after we lost the first hen and the bantam hen on Tuesday, but my husband found one hen dragged under the coop on Wed. so we found an area that something had dug into so we covered it with the wire that we had used on the whole run. on Friday he found 2 hens dead in the pen. We have a weasel we believe because the holes in the fencing are only 1 x 2 and nothing I know of other than a weasel can get through that opening. we are now keeping them in the coop during the day and letting them out for a few hours in the afternoon when we are home. WE have been trying to trap the culprit in a live trap, but so far no luck. I am just sick about this whole thing because we thought we had them safe as long as they were in their run. We've lost half of our flock to this beast. He only took the heads off the last 4 he killed. Any suggestions anyone? I could use some help here.

 

[kfisher123]

I am so sorry for you! I would post this question in the predator forum. You'll probably get some good help there. Again, I'm really sorry.

Quote:

 

[drgnflyz]

Well, since that post I have lost a total of 6 chickens, 4 plymouth rock hens, 1 bantam hen and a bantam rooster. Seems their run was not predator proof afterall.

whatever hardware cloth you add to your pen, you may need to add to the floor of your pen as well. A lot of predators will dig. So sorry for your loss.

To the original poster- don't lose hope yet. One of my BCM hens went missing 10 days ago- not one stray feather to indicate what might have happened to her. Then this morning she turned up- she was just fine and dandy! My husband, two sons and I all scoured the yard MANY times and missed her 'broody nest' for 10 full days! I finally found it late this afternoon.​