Please Help! Chickens Dissappearing Without A Trace

[queengallina]

Over the past few days, my chooks have gone missing! Almost every night when I go to close the coop, a chicken is missing. No feathers, blood, nothing. It's like they just vanished. I see one during the day, and at around 8 when im out to count them, it's gone. I'v lost 7 bantams, and 2 large hens over the past week or so. I don't know what's happening! I've owned chickens for 3 years and this has never happened before.

I live on 20 acres in Texas. trees, bushes, and living spaces for possums, raccoons, etc. are sparse, I'm not sure what's getting them! I have a dog that would alert me if she saw anything, but she's never warned me about any vermin recently. Also my chickens live in a large coop surrounded by chain panels, and there are no holes under the fencce. Please help me identify what's getting my chickens, I hate losing them, I love them so much!!

Also I've set a trap tonight, I'll update if anythings been caught...

+ quick note, I am a minor, so I cannot go out and buy sensor cameras, traps, etc... all i have to work with right now is a small/medium metal trap

 

[DobieLover]

Do you have any idea when they are going missing? Could it be an owl picking them off as they are heading back to the coop near dusk?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Great horned owls can lift more than a hawk but nothing over about 3.5 or 4 pounds. GHOs usually live in family groups and if one owl makes a kill both owls will share it and before you know it the weight and air drag on your hen will be so low that the owls can make of with the remainder of the body. Of course bantam chickens are no problem for a GHO or even a chicken hawk to make off with. However the fact that you are short two standard size chickens but without any feathers makes me think that you have a furry chitter nabbing your hens.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Over the past few days, my chooks have gone missing! Almost every night when I go to close the coop, a chicken is missing. No feathers, blood, nothing. It's like they just vanished. I see one during the day, and at around 8 when im out to count them, it's gone. I'v lost 7 bantams, and 2 large hens over the past week or so. I don't know what's happening! I've owned chickens for 3 years and this has never happened before.

I live on 20 acres in Texas. trees, bushes, and living spaces for possums, raccoons, etc. are sparse, I'm not sure what's getting them! I have a dog that would alert me if she saw anything, but she's never warned me about any vermin recently. Also my chickens live in a large coop surrounded by chain panels, and there are no holes under the fencce. Please help me identify what's getting my chickens, I hate losing them, I love them so much!!

Also I've set a trap tonight, I'll update if anythings been caught...

+ quick note, I am 15 years old, so I cannot go out and buy sensor cameras, traps, etc... all i have to work with right now is a small/medium metal trap

It’s almost always a fox, coyote or a bobcat when they just go missing. A fox and bobcat can climb a fence easily but I would think they would drop a feather or two at least. Sometimes there’s feathers but not always. What do you mean by small/medium metal trap? How high is the fence around your coop?

 

[queengallina]

It’s almost always a fox, coyote or a bobcat when they just go missing. A fox and bobcat can climb a fence easily but I would think they would drop a feather or two at least. Sometimes there’s feathers but not always. What do you mean by small/medium metal trap? How high is the fence around your coop?

Yeah, i suppose it might be a coyote. But my dog would flip if she saw one, and I haven't heard her during the night, surprisingly.
Sorry, i dont know the proper terms, but its like a spring loaded cage?? If that makes sense
Also the fence is about 6 ft

 

[queengallina]

Do you have any idea when they are going missing? Could it be an owl picking them off as they are heading back to the coop near dusk?

Yes about dusk, is usually when they go missing. I was thinking that it could be an owl since my small hens have gone missing, but I'm not sure, because my larger hens have dissappeared aswell [Theyre also quite heavy chickens]

 

[ashlierami]

Over the past few days, my chooks have gone missing! Almost every night when I go to close the coop, a chicken is missing. No feathers, blood, nothing. It's like they just vanished. I see one during the day, and at around 8 when im out to count them, it's gone. I'v lost 7 bantams, and 2 large hens over the past week or so. I don't know what's happening! I've owned chickens for 3 years and this has never happened before.

I live on 20 acres in Texas. trees, bushes, and living spaces for possums, raccoons, etc. are sparse, I'm not sure what's getting them! I have a dog that would alert me if she saw anything, but she's never warned me about any vermin recently. Also my chickens live in a large coop surrounded by chain panels, and there are no holes under the fencce. Please help me identify what's getting my chickens, I hate losing them, I love them so much!!

Also I've set a trap tonight, I'll update if anythings been caught...

+ quick note, I am 15 years old, so I cannot go out and buy sensor cameras, traps, etc... all i have to work with right now is a small/medium metal trap

Alot of my birds have gone missing without a trace. I have yet to discover exactly what took them. I set a trap and caught many things. The latest predator I found was a large racoon that was living under my house . I found it because it was out in the day looking for food around my yard. I set the trap and caught it. I haven't lost any birds since but I do not think that's the answer to why I lost so many I think it just contributed to it. If you can be out there with them as they go to bed that may help. I always watch over mine going to bed.

 

[roosterhavoc]

The birds are getting taken from within the 6ft fence? I take it your dog is outside? You really have to be real specific when it comes the missing birds if you want to figure it out.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Alot of my birds have gone missing without a trace. I have yet to discover exactly what took them. I set a trap and caught many things. The latest predator I found was a large racoon that was living under my house . I found it because it was out in the day looking for food around my yard. I set the trap and caught it. I haven't lost any birds since but I do not think that's the answer to why I lost so many I think it just contributed to it. If you can be out there with them as they go to bed that may help. I always watch over mine going to bed.

A lot of people do the same thing. They lose birds and set a cage. Catch a raccoon and think all is well Eventually they start losing them again. You obviously know the raccoon wasn’t taking your birds. Missing birds is almost always a canine. They are more difficult to catch.

 

[queengallina]

A lot of people do the same thing. They lose birds and set a cage. Catch a raccoon and think all is well Eventually they start losing them again. You obviously know the raccoon wasn’t taking your birds. Missing birds is almost always a canine. They are more difficult to catch.

I know, I set the trap just in case. I don't know.
My dog stays outside during the night. I know she wouldn't climb the fence and eat them, she's been trained not to, and she's pretty old anyway. I don't know of any other dogs that live in the area. I convinced my dad to set up a motion detecting camera, so now I'll figure out what's getting them, I guess.