On Thursday night, just before dark, we closed up the coop and run, and secured the latches (my daughter herded our 7 hens in, and closed doors, then I went out and double-checked). The coop is toward the back of our yard, near a gate for back alley access. We left for dinner. Came back two hours later to find our back gate, run door, and coop door all standing wide open. One little Cochin Bantam was in the coop, one Bantam was in the run trying to hide under the step, and we found our barred rock hiding under a bush in the yard. Missing were our four biggest hens -- two BOs, a RIR, and a gold laced wyandotte. There were no feathers, no blood, no sign of any struggle.
It took our minds a while to grasp that our four big hens had been stolen (I think they tried to take the barred rock too, but she got away, which explains why she was in the yard). We walked the area for over an hour with flashlights, then as soon as the sun was up began searching again. The police officer we talked to felt it was likely someone had taken them to eat. Or maybe to sell (they were young hens, just started laying a month ago). I thought it could be a prank, and we've posted fliers, walked door-to-door, and called the humane society.
They were dear pets, and we are sad to lose them.
We have added padlocks to the coop door and the run door, as well as to the back gate. Three motion sensor lights are mounted around the coop.
We were so careful to build our coop to be fox/raccoon/coyote/skunk proof. We never anticipated predators of the two-legged variety.
It took our minds a while to grasp that our four big hens had been stolen (I think they tried to take the barred rock too, but she got away, which explains why she was in the yard). We walked the area for over an hour with flashlights, then as soon as the sun was up began searching again. The police officer we talked to felt it was likely someone had taken them to eat. Or maybe to sell (they were young hens, just started laying a month ago). I thought it could be a prank, and we've posted fliers, walked door-to-door, and called the humane society.
They were dear pets, and we are sad to lose them.
We have added padlocks to the coop door and the run door, as well as to the back gate. Three motion sensor lights are mounted around the coop.
We were so careful to build our coop to be fox/raccoon/coyote/skunk proof. We never anticipated predators of the two-legged variety.
