Two favorite hens are missing. broody?

[Cluck Wild Farm]

Last night when I went out to lock the girls up for the night, I noticed that my two favorite hens were missing. Naturally, I started panicking, and my husband and I went out with flashlights searching around our eleven acres. We found nothing. This morning, I got back at it, hoping I would find them alive, or the daylight I could at least find signs of attack to know what happened to my two girls. Still nothing. It's like they disappeared into thin air! The two times we've lost hens to dogs, there were feathers everywhere, and usually if a stray dog comes into the yard, my five dogs start going nuts. I never heard anything out of the ordinary yesterday. They've never disappeared like this before. One is a year and a half old, the other is about a year. They could't have a secret nest somewhere, could they? The two roos we have are only three months old, but maybe they've gone broody on an unfertilized nest?

I'm fearing the worst, but praying for the best. It's just so odd that out of my thirty five chickens, why my two favorites?? Seriously, the rest want nothing to do with me, but these two follow me around like little puppies :'( I've been crying all morning, this is just awful.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sorry about your girls, hope you do fine them. They could have gone broody on a hidden nest somewhere, are they a breed you would expect to go broody? If they are, you should still see them occasionally when they come to eat. With predators, this time of year foxes are pretty bad and they tend to grab a chicken and run, and may take multiple birds the same day, if it is something like a fox it will probably be back for more of the flock. If you have one, you might consider putting out game cameras in case it comes back so you know what you are dealing with.

 

[Cluck Wild Farm]

They're gone :'( I finally found two piles of feathers (no bodies) in the yard today. The feathers have slobber on them, I'm thinking it was the neighbors dog AGAIN. He got a blue cochin pullet two months ago. I'm just distraught. I don't think I'll ever find chickens as sweet as these two again. Thanks for your response, Kelsie2290.

 

[krista74]

This is terrible, I'm so sorry you have had to go through this.

Have you considered reporting this incident to the police?

Your neighbour should be held responsible if his dogs are roaming and killing on your property.

Krista