Unknown predator taking chicks at night

[Cryss]

not quite picturing this but wondering if chicks are making it through the 4 inch wire fence. They can squeeze much smaller than those feathers appear.

 

[Boskat]

I have a bachelor pad that I have been using as a grow out pen and lately chicks are coming up missing. The first to disappear was a group of 5 2 week old Black Sumatra LF's. All gone in one night and without a trace. Our list of suspects were:

1) escaped enclosure and killed by neighbor dogs(so we filled in some chick accessable gaps).
2) human as a neighbor's brother had admired our Sumatra previously. Since then we keep all property gates locked.
3) Snake, but c'mon 5 2 weekers in 1 night?
4) Possum as we leave the entrance to the Main Sumatra Roost open so they enter/exit of their own free will mornings and evenings. There is a possum sized entrance between the two coop areas. However, I would expect a mess and headless chicks from a possum and or raccoon.
5) A cat but unless it were feral with kits I wouldn't expect 5 dead in one night and were it a fed neighbor cat dead trophys laying about.
6) Raccoon highly improbable but possible too, but once again no mess or injuries to my LF's.


Fast forward to one week later and my nastiest, meanest man hating when broody/brooding hen hatched out a clutch of two chicks and her porch brooding antics needed to see her relocated to the bachelor pad.

The first two nights were uneventful except for her charging me as I top off food and water. Her new digs have a 6 foot tall enclosed 50x75' 1x4" welded wire outer fence, contained within and on 2 sides abutting a 6' chain link fence. Next layer of defense is just a 2'x50' inner run for just her and the chicks with chicken wire to contain the chicks. There are two potential ingress/egress points in the coop itself and they are 2x4"sized gaps at the roof line connecting the bachelor pad to the main Sumatra roost section that I have left open for additional ventilation, and 1x4" welded wire over an adjoining section from the bachelor to main pen for a predator to get through. The front door faces a 30w compact florescent light that comes on at night so my chicken have some night vision.

For pictures of that coop please click here.

We had expected no further issues with a nasty intolerant hen guarding those two chicks. Unfortunately, last night 1 chick went MIA and without a trace, momma hen is uninjured and all appears well. Tonight I have no plans on relocating them but am going to add interior lighting with a flashlight set to low inside the bachelor digs side of her coop is our plan so momma can mount a better defense if that is the case.


Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. I'm considering adding in HC at the roof line eaves if we lose the last chick. Also I am thinking at this point I need to turn the potential predator ingress/egress points into a muddy mess so I can collect more data/tracks/prints on what may be entering that coop.

A very similar situation happened to myself 2 summers ago. 2-4 new ducklings vanished each night. They were housed overnight in a 2 story old wooden barn. I had it predator proofed to the best of my knowledge. They were in there w adult hens and 4 adult ducks. 1 rooster and 2 drakes. There was no sign of disruption not even loose feathers from other birds who may have whitenessed it and attempted to protect or flee. I forgot to mention the ducklings mama and drake were not only locked down in a huge barn, they were also encoded in a 4 x 10 x 5 ft large brooder to protect the ducklings from the OGs. (My group of old chickens that literally ruled the roost- Even the Drakes showed respect) One morning I came in to clean 3 hrs earlier than usual. I heard the rooster throwing a fit. I came in just in time as a VERY FAT lumpy 4 ft Bull snake was making his way into the duck brooder. I got him out and relocated him miles away by the river. I went online and an Australian YouTuber gave ne simple, yet EXCELLENT advice to protect from digging predators. Take 2 x 4 boards (or a similar msrmnt), Hammer EXTRA LONG nails closely together all the way thru so they come out the bottom like spikes. Then line your perimeter of brooder, or problem area and stomp the boards into the ground around it. Burrowing or digging predators run into a metal gate w spikes when they try to dig under. It worked surprisingly well. I guess some predators aren’t willing to dig down indefinitely past the nails as well as it causing pain as their paws rub under nails. Even if they manage to gig, they have to squeeze their bodies under sharp nails. It worked for snakes as I saw evidence of other reptilian attempts and retreats after I placed them. I don’t know if that helps any, but good luck!

 

[AllenK RGV]

I think it had to be rats. She still has her one chick. Keeping the HC cloth doors closed at night plus additional lighting in case something makes it in to meet my aggressive hen(rat or young possum) they will not be visiting a second time. I do not like going in there to change the batteries as the hen comes after me. We also lift all food now to deter visitors. Regardless, it is the crazy stuff we chicken keepers do to keep our flocks safe.

I might go the trail camera option next month as we have 5 indoor/outdoor LGD's and 2 cats that patrol every night as they won't be kept inside. Last night my newer younger cat had a rat that she felt died prematurely but she still had fun with the corpse.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-areal-defence-system.1362116/#post-22451620 is the current coop they are in minus a 50 foot run of chicken wire to keep the chicks contained near the enclosure.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Most predators and prey species on the planet have to work very hard just to get enough to eat until humans come in and start feeding them. You set up a coop and now you have a rat buffet and people wonder why rodents show up and stay. And they wonder why so many new predators are coming around. They come for the rats and stay for the chickens, chicks, and eggs.

Solve the rodent problem and make those predators work for a living on wild prey. That means stop feeding the rodents! It is that easy.