What carries off chickens, one at a time, and leaves no evidence?

[srsmith69]

I've lost probably a dozen young (20 weeks or less) dual purpose chickens over the last month. They free range during the day. Think they are disapearing at dusk, but that's just a guess. I've found no plucked feathers, no blood, no remains, I'm just short a chicken when I go out to lock them up for the night. I've seen a coyote in my yard, just not sure if they carry the birds off or eat where they catch them. We've got coons, but i've seen their handiwork (blood and feathers and dead animals just lying around) We've got possums, skunks, owls, hawks. But I don't think its them either.

 

[Illia]

Owls or Hawks I'd assume.


Most others leave behind evidence. If the birds are small or young enough, there's not too much evidence.

 

[clairabean]

Many animals will. If the predators are worried about being caught (human noise in area) they will grab and run- even raccoons.

Try to get them in earlier, to break this habit.

 

[groundpecker]

hawks, owls, fox, coyote, even a human

 

[SeramasLovers]

yikes! you got dangerous PREDATOR all around.

 

[LegginMF12]

I am having the EXACT same problem. They just magically disappear! Always find somebody missing at dusk when they go tot he coop. The one that disappeared yesterday was out there at around 4:00 or 5:00. Then went to close the coop and poof! gone.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I had a bobcat one time and noticed my hens were disappearring one by one. No trace of a struggle. Finally saw him and we shot a shotgun towards but not at him. He never returned.
Must have taken two weeks to finally see what was taking my hens.

 

[bfrancis]

How about leaving them in their run for a few days and setting a live trap...see what happens

 

[mrpekinduck]

I'm sorry about you're birds!

Sounds to me like you're problem is a fox.

 

[ninabeast]

I lost one exactly that way and it was a fox.