MY BIRDS DISAPPEARED???!?!

[chaoticandrew]

THEY'RE GONE! I CHECKED EVERYTHING. THE LATCH ON THE COOP WAS SHUT THE SAME WAY I LEFT IT. NO HOLES OR GAPS IN THE PERIMETER. NO BLOOD OR CARNAGE. NOTHING. THEY'RE GONE. WTF. I AM LITERALLY FREAKING OUT.

 

[Ebony Rose]

And if everything still looks perfectly normal, then suspect predators of the two-legged variety.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

two sides were plywood. two sides were chicken wire and mesh. the bottom was just chicken wire so poop could fall through. the roof was chicken wire and mesh. i had four birds yesterday.

upon further inspection some disturbing details have come up. there are two small smears of fresh blood on the feeder and waterer. the dirt underneath the coop looks like it could've been disturbed recently. the roof, which was always been less stable than the rest of the coop, has always had a slight gap in it. it's not nearly big enough for a quail to get out of, but it is pliable, and it ricochets back in place when moved. a raccoon or a housecat could have dragged the birds through the roof gap if they were particularly smart.

it seems like a stretch, but it's the best explanation i have. as for humans and theft, i doubt it, because the only neighbor who knew i had quail was my next door neighbor, who is very friendly and helped me try to find an escaped quail once.

this is especially jarring because i have recently suffered the loss of two very special birds to me and i am still mourning. i have no idea how to even begin to process this.

Very sorry for your loss. As for the raccoon bit, I thought the same thing about this door on a chicken coop;

Figured that the top only wiggled like an inch, two TOPS, and there was a 2x4 behind it. I woke up one day to find the whole flock dead. The coon climbed on the roof, pried it open and wormed in through the top - I found some of its fur caught on a semi-exposed screw end right in that corner, big tuft of rough agouti fur.

Whatever you think raccoons aren't capable of, they are.

 

[chaoticandrew]

What type of pen were they in?

two sides were plywood. two sides were chicken wire and mesh. the bottom was just chicken wire so poop could fall through. the roof was chicken wire and mesh. i had four birds yesterday.

upon further inspection some disturbing details have come up. there are two small smears of fresh blood on the feeder and waterer. the dirt underneath the coop looks like it could've been disturbed recently. the roof, which was always been less stable than the rest of the coop, has always had a slight gap in it. it's not nearly big enough for a quail to get out of, but it is pliable, and it ricochets back in place when moved. a raccoon or a housecat could have dragged the birds through the roof gap if they were particularly smart.

it seems like a stretch, but it's the best explanation i have. as for humans and theft, i doubt it, because the only neighbor who knew i had quail was my next door neighbor, who is very friendly and helped me try to find an escaped quail once.

this is especially jarring because i have recently suffered the loss of two very special birds to me and i am still mourning. i have no idea how to even begin to process this.

 

[LapisLazuli]

Did you check everywhere in the coop even high up? They might be roosting or they might have gotten out somehow

 

[LapisLazuli]

Whoops I just saw that this is in the quail section. And quail don't roost.

 

[chaoticandrew]

Whoops I just saw that this is in the quail section. And quail don't roost.

yeah no. unfortunately it's a pretty small and simple coop. it was easy to verify nothing was unchecked or out of place.

 

[HappyDuckie]

It says in your post you are freaking out. Take a deep breath. When you're calm, go back and look all around the cage. Not sure what type you have, but if its wire check for it being bent or moved. Look everywhere, take some food and shake it around. How many do you have?

 

[HillGuy]

Don't rule out rats. They can get into some tight places. I found out the hard way that 1/2" X 3" sturdy mesh won't stop them. Though, I do think rats leave more of a mess than what you described.

 

[FloorCandy]

Lack of much evidence makes me suspect a snake. But do you have snakes nearby that could eat 4 birds?