Something Strange this weekend......

[catfish]

We went camping this weekend so we left plenty of food and water in the run and the coop open and let the chickens fend for themselves. From Friday night to Sunday eve.

Ok we get home last night and I go to check the food and water. They still had water so thats good. The hens and roos are all in the coop and its not quite dark yet. YEA I was hoping they would start this.
One feeder was empty and disassembled and its a two piece one that TSC sells. Its top part was laying to the side and just crumbs scattered around. So I open the coop and start grabbing birds and putting them in the yard, counting them.

I got one missing, its a roo, no feathers, nothing. So this comes to the question.............

Tell me a predator that would kill 1 chicken and then eat all the chick starter out of the feeder?

I think its a weird, why would only one bird be missing. <shrug>

 

[ozark hen]

sorry, I can't help but sorry for your loss and it is strange isn't it?

 

[Red Tie]

Sounds coon like to me. We had five kittens, about six weeks old just disappear from the box stall they had been living in. No sign of them anywhere. Just gone, all of them. Never did find a sign of them. Coons would be the only creature (I think) that could take the feeders apart. Most animals just arent smart enough to figure them out.

Watch closely, once they find the way in to food they are very difficult to stop. Got any traps?

 

[silkiechicken]

Odd... if it was a coon... my guess you'd have come back to no birds.

 

[catfish]

Quote:
I kind of think the same thing, wish I'd paid more attention to the feeder to see is it was like someone picked it up and spun it, leaves a perfect circle of feed dust. I did that once and had the feeder come apart. First time I knew it came apart, haha.

Its possible we could've had a visitor that decided they wanted a chicken to take home. My chickens are not real friendly and would never come up to anyone. They barely come up to us with treats.
The run is a short wire, not covered, and encompasses a small group of hickory trees grown up with poison ivy and vines, Its impossible to catch a bird in there. Its nice and shady and gives the birds places to hide from hawks.

 

[GwenFarms]

I say fox. It seems strange that one would eat the feed, but it could be that it got to running low and your chickens turned it over and "played" with it until it came apart. Foxes gennerally take their prey and eat it at their den. They also usually only take what they need, one at the time, but coons will eat on site and make a big mess.

 

[zatsdeb]

opossums love chicken feed.