Predator took all 5 hens last night! I feel horrible!

[chloemae]

Hi Everyone, thank you to everyone at this forum as you have all been so helpful! Every night I have a routine which includes checking on my 5 hens and closing their hutch door. I have done this for 5 years. Last night I am assuming I forgot as I noted the main door open this AM. All of my chickens are gone. There are no bodies, bones, etc. - just piles of feathers. I live in town with 2 sides of 8 foot fence and 2 sides of 4 foot fence. Hawks have been my daytime issues in the past as I lost one of my birds two years ago to a hawk in the daylight. I feel horribly guilty. Does anyone know what predator, in a southeastern PA town would just leave feathers overnight, be able to kill 5 birds, and leave nothing more? There are no gaps in the fence bottom and I have 3 dogs who use my yard to run and play....thank you for any information. I truly appreciate it!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I left the door open, totally my fault....so whatever entered just walked in. I am so so sick. I have had a routine for the past 5 years, check them and lock the door. I am going round and round about this in my head....how I could have let it happen...

Please don't beat yourself up! It has happened to many of us and will happen to others again. You clearly did your best to protect and care for them properly, but we're all human and can forget to do things sometimes! Predators are tricky creatures and will take advantage of every opportunity. I've accidentally left the door open and have gotten lucky. I have also waited too late to put them up and an owl swooped in and took off with a younger chicken that liked to sleep in the run. These things happen and it's normal to feel sad but please know you're not alone and it's NOT your fault that the wild animal was hungry!

 

[TanyaTS]

I’m sorry for your loss. You sound like a good chicken keeper who had just one night of forgetfulness out of 365x5 perfect ones. Shed your tears and then chin up. I’m going to say they didn’t suffer.

 

[chloemae]

I’m sorry for your loss. You sound like a good chicken keeper who had just one night of forgetfulness out of 365x5 perfect ones. Shed your tears and then chin up. I’m going to say they didn’t suffer.

Thank you for the kind words ❤. I love every single animal I have and am that person who saves earthworms from the hot sidewalks and takes wildlife that are injured to the local center who cares for them. I am going to try to move forward and try not to look back, I am just really shaken up and feel horribly guilty....

 

[littledog]

That's horrible, I'm so sorry! It sounds like you think you might have left the coop door open, but you're not sure? It could be raccoons, they tend to live in suburban areas, and are pretty clever at opening doors and figuring out latches to get at what they want, depending on what type of latch you have. If it's raccoons, maybe get a latch that's more difficult, like a screw gate carabiner?
It might also be an owl - same M.O. as the hawks you've seen in daytime, but they hunt at night. Owls are really quick to grab their prey, but wouldn't be able to open the door, though.
Raccoons tend to kill chickens at the site, and leave gory evidence including bloodstains. Raptors like hawks and owls tend to kill quickly and then airlift their prey away to their nest, leaving nothing but feathers.
Was there any other evidence besides piles of feathers? Any blood or other gory evidence? Piles of feathers and nothing else point to raptors, gory evidence points to mammals.
Is your chicken run closed at the top by wire or netting? Is it closed at the bottom by no-dig hardware cloth?
Sorry to be such a CSI jerk about you losing your friends. Identifying predators can be a real pain, I've lost quite a few to different ones myself. Good luck to you securing your coop.

 

[Chicken Heel]

Thank you for the kind words ❤. Since I have now lost my beloved hens, I am not going to get any more. I cannot go through this heartache again. Wow!!! Your pics are definitely concerning, cameras are an awesome idea!!!!

Given time, the human soul can heal when losses of people and animals that we care for occur. Life is a journey to be lived and wisdom comes as we age. I hope you are able to heal from this and get more chickens at some point as they can be part of that healing process.

 

[cmom]

I'll tell you a story about my most favorite bird. I never had a bird like Gladys, she was very special. Several months ago a fox killed my very special bird. I don't usually name my birds except for the special ones. Gladys was a cross beak that I had hatched out and raised. Normally I cull but I somehow missed Gladys so I figured she was meant to be. She had her own coop with other birds now and then that might need some TLC. She was 3 years old when a fox took her during the middle of the day when I was distracted. I had been seeing a fox on my cameras more at night. When she didn't come when I called her I knew something was wrong because she would always come so I went looking for her. I found some piles of feathers. I followed the trail but never did find her. I cried. I put traps out and caught the fox. It was mangy and boy did it stink. I knew it was a risk to let her out and but let my guard down. I still blame myself for not putting her back in her pen. She was dust bathing when I last saw her. I have a lot of birds so I'm still carrying on. I still miss Gladys and think of her every day. I'm now using her coop and pen for birds that need some TLC. I'm not letting her death get the best of me but it did take awhile to heal but the pain of loosing her will never go away and as I said I still blame myself for not putting her in her pen while I was distracted. You may decide that you want more birds in the future. They are such joy. Good luck and take care...

 

[Pennys Mama]

Sorry you had this happen! It's crazy just how opportunistic these predators are! It's like they just lurk around waiting on us to mess up. First night my ducks were in their new pen an owl killed one, I didn't have the top on it yet! This is a reminder that I need to start closing up mines pop door as soon as they call it a day instead of waiting later.

 

[cmom]

I also can feel your pain from losses I have had in the past. It could be any number of predators but fox and coyotes come to mind first. If you have a game camera, put it up because more than likely the predator has been lurking just looking for an opportunity and it will be back. I have several game cameras up on my property and have been surprised at the predators that roam here especially at night. Many have regular routes and routines. Some I have been able to identify as the same predator from the pictures from markings on them or injuries. The 2nd and 3rd pictures are of a coyote that had injured it's right front foot. I have seen it quite often.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry for your losses, it's so hard when it happens. Me too! Most of us have sad stories involving predators, often because we made a mistake, or didn't have things as safe as we thought they were.
Do try to heal, and move on, and enjoy some adorable chicks this spring!
Mary