Sorry you lost a chick. Do you have any idea at all what might have been the culprit? Maybe a buzzard or a goshawkTowey disappeared this afternoon. Predated I assume. Janeka and the other 3 chicks do not appear to be in any way distressed, so I don't think they witnessed it. I heard no commotion, so I don't think any of the rest of the flock knew about it either. I wonder if Janeka is really aware that there are 3 not 4 under her tonight.
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Aerial predator probably - we have buzzards, goshawk, red tailed kites, crows, seagulls. Next door's 2 cats are prolific hunters too, but they didn't take any last year and I don't think it would have gone unnoticed if they'd got it, at least if they played with it before killing it as cats often do. And there are foxes, weasels etc. It's a pity neither of the sub roos have taken it upon themselves to look after Janeka and the chicks; Sven played that role in his retirement, including looking after the teens when mum had sent them packing and they weren't ready to join the grown ups. But the flock is bigger now and the roos all seem to be busy with one group of hens or another.Sorry you lost a chick. Do you have any idea at all what might have been the culprit? Maybe a buzzard or a goshawk
Seeing the big fluffy butts running and hopping trying to catch a little sparrow is just about the funniest thing I have witnessed.
Elk, like most wild animals typically bolt before attacking. Ever since I was a little kid, animals just seem to know that I won't hurt them. I have always wanted to go to Kenya to the Wildlife Reserve and work with the folks protecting the Elephants and Rhinos. I would be the person to get eaten by lions because I would just sit and watch them and offer to scratch them behind the ears. LOL
The hatchery that we got ours from, is more geared towards backyard flocks, not commercial laying, they sell lucky dips, or you can request all pullets and they will sex them but no guarantees, but up until you said that, I had no reason to suspect that the males were just sold with another group of chicks, I never would have suspected that they would kill a perfectly healthy animal.Are the pullets you bought are from a hatchery were only girls are born?
This is possible (abortion at day 11) and done in large hatcheries for laying hybrids for the egg industry, so they can sell the eggs with the label ‘ no chicks dead ‘ or ‘no cockerel dead’.
Some countries in the EU such as Luxembourg, France and Germany already have a national ban on the killing of day-old chicks for the egg industry. The European Commission now wants all EU countries to follow their example.
But as far as I know this abortion method is not common practice in hatcheries for back yard chickens. If the hatchery has no label with ‘ no cockerel dead ‘ you should realise that your response was to let someone else kill 25 - 30 male chicks for you.
Btw, I do love it that you do your best for the all the chickens you have and are hatched in your office and grow up in your backyard (or was it the other way around
I have had a few months old chicks find a live fledgling Robin, quarter it by pulling apart and eating it. I was horrified. But it made it easier to harvest the extra cockerels.
That's me sorted for the day then 
