Mystery creature story!

[Jen F]

We hatched out 27 Barred Plymoth Rocks. (I had an older coop with a dirt floor at the time). I put the 3-4 week old chicks out there under the cozy brooder light... the next morning there was a hole dug into the coop and 18, count them 18, chicks GONE! The hole was a a little bigger than a baseball. The strange thing was that there was not a single feather or blood drop in there.
The next night we trapped a 1 rat. I really don't think that a rat could do this. ( we trapped several night after that but didn't get anything)
Since then my coop has been upgraded with a a marine grade wood floor.

Wonder what it was here in Central KY that would be that size?

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

Hmmm... Trying to think of predators that will dig small holes and take entire chickens...

Raccoons are formidable. But they normally rip apart their prey. And although they can squeeze into small spaces, they probably can't get into a hole THAT small. Probably not a raccoon.

Possums I think will tear off some feathers, but little babies may not have enough feathers to be plucked. And they also can squeeze into small spaces.

Rats. I'm not super-duper educated in predators, but rats will dig under coops and grab baby chicks. They travel in packs. Based on the size of the hole and the rat you caught, I think a family of rats took the baby chicks.

 

[SpringChickens]

Mink? Or other weasels?

 

[Lunachick]

Are snakes out this time of year in KY?

 

[purelypoultry]

Perhaps a snake or weasel of some sort? I am not familiar with the kinds of predators you have in your area, but those are the first two that pop into my mind.

 

[Jen F]

This was last year in August when it happened. Could be a snake, yuck!
I don't know of weasels around here, but they probably are.
Our best guess was a pack of nasty, chick eating rats!

The mystery continues

:
Thanks