This is the second day in a row that I've woken up to a dismembered chick. I'd like it to stop now since I only started with 7...and whatever is getting them seems to be a horrific way to go.
Both mornings I was outside around 5:45- yesterday I noticed the momma and everyone else huddled by the door of the run (the door to the run was open, I haven't locked up my coop in months having never seen a predator in my very suburban neighborhood in the 2 years or so I've had chickens) I didn't think too much of it, and I had to be to work early, so I didn't discover the missing chick until around 4:45 that afternoon.
This is what I found:
So last night, I did lock up the run, but left the pop door open. (The broody moms can be rather unkind to the rest of the flock if they get too close, and I didn't want to lock them all in together without a place to go)
I was up at 6. Momma and babies, and most of my adult chickens huddled by the closed run door.
This time I took pics of the scene.
This is the EXACT same place that I found the chick yesterday. It is generally where they sleep.
This shows the location of "the attack" ...the small pile of dark feathers under the nest boxes...far left. It also shows the remaining ADULT chicken that was not huddled outside. Whatever got the chick is leaving adult chickens. When I tell you this chicken is helpless, you need to believe me. She has some kind of neural issues I think, and there is NO way she would have gotten away if a pred went after her.
Anyhow- the pieces that I collected:
This chick was similarly dismembered.
Any thoughts or ideas???
I'm leaving for the weekend starting early friday morning and I don't want to leave my chicken sitter to have to look for dead babies every morning!!! I was thinking I could gather everyone tonight and put them in crates in my garage- then set a trap in the coop?? Unless ya'll know what it is? Should I shut the pop door and try one more night to see if any more get hit?
Please help! Thanks!
Both mornings I was outside around 5:45- yesterday I noticed the momma and everyone else huddled by the door of the run (the door to the run was open, I haven't locked up my coop in months having never seen a predator in my very suburban neighborhood in the 2 years or so I've had chickens) I didn't think too much of it, and I had to be to work early, so I didn't discover the missing chick until around 4:45 that afternoon.
This is what I found:
So last night, I did lock up the run, but left the pop door open. (The broody moms can be rather unkind to the rest of the flock if they get too close, and I didn't want to lock them all in together without a place to go)
I was up at 6. Momma and babies, and most of my adult chickens huddled by the closed run door.
This time I took pics of the scene.
This is the EXACT same place that I found the chick yesterday. It is generally where they sleep.
This shows the location of "the attack" ...the small pile of dark feathers under the nest boxes...far left. It also shows the remaining ADULT chicken that was not huddled outside. Whatever got the chick is leaving adult chickens. When I tell you this chicken is helpless, you need to believe me. She has some kind of neural issues I think, and there is NO way she would have gotten away if a pred went after her.
Anyhow- the pieces that I collected:
This chick was similarly dismembered.
Any thoughts or ideas???
I'm leaving for the weekend starting early friday morning and I don't want to leave my chicken sitter to have to look for dead babies every morning!!! I was thinking I could gather everyone tonight and put them in crates in my garage- then set a trap in the coop?? Unless ya'll know what it is? Should I shut the pop door and try one more night to see if any more get hit?
Please help! Thanks!
