Something big got us last night.

[laura877]

I've been having problems with myeggs disappearing. I thought it might the chickens but too many eggs would disappear at once. I had a nest close to the ground that had abt 8 eggs in it. Then the next day they were all gone. So I didn't think it was one of the girls. That nest must have had 8 eggs in it for a day or two. Sometimes the shells are left, other times not a tidbit of shell.

This morning when I woke up and looked outside, it looked like a chicken dead between the two barns. I go out there and here is my 7 lbs cornish cross dead and half eaten. I have no idea what got it. I didn't hear any dogs, coyotes, nothing. I had to be pretty big to be able to drag off a 7 lb dead chick.

 

[MIRooster]

Are your chickens in a fenced run?

IMO evidence of how something got in would allow you to best tell what it was that ate part of your chicken. If it was free ranging, there's less evidence IMO.

 

[Stacykins]

Any sign of the critter? Could it be a BIG raccoon? I know I've seen some monster sized raccoons before, and also some very small coyote.

 

[laura877]

According to others, there are coyote all around but I neer see them or hear them. My chickens are free range but they also have 8 x 12 coop that they can go in and a 60 x 156 barn. I'm trying to train them to go into the coop at night so I can lock them up but I have a few that prefer the rafters that are 20' in the air. I was working on getting pens up but then our tractor broke. So hubby has parts ordered and then we can finish getting posts in. I do have a 4 x 8 brooder that all new chicks will go into because they can be locked in.