Missing goslings...

[fiveoaks]

I got two 3-day old goslings in the mail yesterday. I bedded them overnight in a dog crate I have used as a brooder for my chicks in the past. Dog crate was inside my chicken coop. I put my extremely maternal Silkie hen in with them (I was hoping she might adopt them as she has other chicks in the past). When I checked on them before I went to bed, they were sleeping soundly in the crate.

This morning, they are gone. GONE. No sign of them. Nothing. No feathers. Nothing. My silkie hen is fine. I'm figuring the most likely scenario is they slipped out of the crate and holed off in some other corner of my coop, which is very large. I scoured the coop, nothing.

What happened???? I have never lost a chick in this coop, and my Silkie has hatched and raised multiple clutches without issue. I'm at a loss.

I'm in Virginia... Rats? Snake??? Any insight greatly appreciated. They were so cute

 

[Jenbirdee]

Oh no this must be so upsetting for you. I’m so sorry it’s hard to imagine that a snake could’ve eaten them both? How does a snake that’s big enough to swallow 2 goslings fit in and out of your coop? Do you use hardware cloth with the little 1/2 squares? I don’t think a snake, even if he could squeeze in, would be able to squeeze back out with gosling’s inside him. And you would think a rat would leave a mess behind. I’m sure you’ve searched through the bedding inside the dog crate? Are there any spaces big enough for the gosling’s to escape from the crate and also from the coop?

 

[fiveoaks]

It is like they vanished into thin air.

I have seen small snakes in the coop, but no I don't think a large one could get in and out with two fat goslings inside it. I did once find a very large rat snake in the ceiling of the coop but he was unable to get inside.

What am I missing???? I feel crazy.

 

[fiveoaks]

My Silkie is also not acting like anything weird or traumatizing happened.

 

[Jenbirdee]

did you look inside of feeders and waterers? in all nesting boxes? maybe under a different hen?

 

[Jenbirdee]

If the coop was locked all night they cant escape unless theres a hole somewhere big enough to fit through
A mink can fit through a quarter size hole but would also have made a terrible mess of everyone
Are there any humans who maybe came in and stole them?

 

[Goosebaby]

I‘m so sorry! Do you know if mink or skunks in your area?

 

[fiveoaks]

Have never seen a mink or skunk but I'm sure they're around. There is literally no sign of the goslings or any other creature, struggle, anything, and all the chickens are acting totally normal. I'm going to put my cameras up around the coop tonight to see if I see anything should a predator return.

Thanks for the condolences. It is a mystery.

 

[fiveoaks]

Now I'm paranoid there is a weird, fowl-stealing stalker human out there in the woods.

 

[EChicky]

Hmm. Could they have escaped the run?