Predators nearby??

[gardenrose]

Recently I've noticed our chickens acting odd, they crowd close to the entrance all on high alert, purring- like a cat (I've read a bit about this and it can be for two reasons: pleasure or because danger is nearby- we have had fox problems before), but I was wondering if there could be another reason?
Also we are going away in a couple of days...

 

[cavemanrich]

First ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Question for you;
If you are going away, how will your chickens be taken care of? How long will you be away? Is your coop and Run( if you have ) secure.
Can your chickens be confined just to inside of secure coop the time you are away? Short time away can be handled differently than extended.
WISHING YOU BEST.....

 

[Trish1974]

I've noticed my girls do that purr-thing only when they see aerial predators. With ground predators they make an egg-song type scream. Its a safe bet there is always some type of predator around! Where are you located?

 

[Rugbygainz]

When they do it look in the trees and the sky? is some sort of bird circling? This is probably a response to potential danger, which is normally triggered by the alpha chicken. This can be a hen or a rooster. The above poster already implied the chance of aerial threaths but i wanted to second it. If it is a fox and he has the chance to get in he will do it at any chance he will get as foxes are very smart and will observe coops and check them daily for vulnerabilities.