Missing chickens!! Help

[ashums]

hello

Over the past few months I have had chickens disappear with no trace of a struggle etc.
This past week 2 roosters and two hens are missing. They go missing during the day time, no evidence of struggle etc.
we live in Santa Fe NM just outside the city in a more rural setting.
They usually go missing in the late afternoon and we do not find any feathers or body parts etc, they are just gone.
Any ideas? We are working on re fencing the whole area....

 

[4 ever Orpington]

hello

Over the past few months I have had chickens disappear with no trace of a struggle etc.
This past week 2 roosters and two hens are missing. They go missing during the day time, no evidence of struggle etc.
we live in Santa Fe NM just outside the city in a more rural setting.
They usually go missing in the late afternoon and we do not find any feathers or body parts etc, they are just gone.
Any ideas? We are working on re fencing the whole area....

Might be a human predator who like the taste of chicken

 

[Flamens Farm]

Sounds like a hawk to me. They swoop down to pick up the chicken and no sign of them ever. No feathers either.

 

[Flamens Farm]

Fence over the top is the only way to stop hawks and owls from getting your chickens.

 

[Birdsong 82]

From what I understand a hawk can only lift a normal size chicken a couple of inches because they can only left about 2 pounds. In Eagle can lift 5 to 6 pounds. A hawk will still kill your check in definitely. I’ve had the same thing happened to me with two of mine well actually three and one of them was a rooster and he showed back up seven months later with a messed up I. Don’t know where he went or how he survived. But he came back not exactly the nicest guy in the world. There are many predators that will drag away their kill.

 

[Birdsong 82]

What time do you put them up in the evening? If they go missing in the evening maybe if you put them back up late baby get them back in a little earlier. Normal hunting time for nocturnal animals is right when the sun start setting and right when it starts rising

 

[keesmom]

Foxes and coyotes are active at all hours of the day this time of year. Could be either of those.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Fence over the top is the only way to stop hawks and owls from getting your chickens.

Regardless of what the predator is it would definitely be good to put some security on the top also. Yes hocks in owls can get in there but raccoons and weasels can also. I’ve seen them try to climb I run before. They could climb it but they couldn’t get in

 

[Trish1974]

From what I understand a hawk can only lift a normal size chicken a couple of inches because they can only left about 2 pounds. In Eagle can lift 5 to 6 pounds. A hawk will still kill your check in definitely. I’ve had the same thing happened to me with two of mine well actually three and one of them was a rooster and he showed back up seven months later with a messed up I. Don’t know where he went or how he survived. But he came back not exactly the nicest guy in the world. There are many predators that will drag away their kill.

X2. Hawks usually eat what they can on the spot and leave the rest of the carcass. They cannot carry off an adult LF chicken.
Edited: Rachel, that is crazy your roo returned 7 months later! Very awesome though! My neighbor's free range flock was decimated by fox last year. The very last hen the fox took returned almost a week later, completely stripped of feather in front of her tail and up her back. Amazing how resilient these birds are.
Agree with keesmom, probably fox or coyote.

 

[Flamens Farm]

X2. Hawks usually eat what they can on the spot and leave the rest of the carcass. They cannot carry off an adult LF chicken.
Edited: Rachel, that is crazy your roo returned 7 months later! Very awesome though! My neighbor's free range flock was decimated by fox last year. The very last hen the fox took returned almost a week later, completely stripped of feather in front of her tail and up her back. Amazing how resilient these birds are.
Agree with keesmom, probably fox or coyote.

We have witness hawks and owls swooping down and carrying off not only chickens but cats as well. I have never seen a hawk stop and kill its prey and eat it in the same place, they carry it off to eat it. and we have plenty of hawks around. With fox or coyote which we have more than our share I believe, there would be evidence of feathers. She said there was no evidence of feathers or anything which is what happened to all of my neighbor's chickens that were seen being carried off.