What could it be???

[Honeysuckle383]

I had 6 medium hens and 6 bantam hens and 11 of them disappeared with only a few feathers left behind in a few different areas right up by my house as if they scattered and ran. It happened within 3 hours between the time I left at 10:45 and got home at 2:15. I'm puzzled to what it could have been that got all of them. If anyone has a clue please let me know. We are thinking it was our neighbors pesky pit bull. Thanks---

 

[blooming silkie]

Do you have possum or racoons in your area? They also will come out during the day if there is a tasty meal to snatch. However, your neighbors pit bull? Does it have easy access to your yard and flock? I would go talk to your neighbor!

 

[Suzierd]

Sounds like a fox a Pit Bull probably would have left a blood bath everywhere. Very sorry for your loss.

 

[Honeysuckle383]

We have a hunting camera we have set out and the only thing ever caught on it was a possum every now and then. And our neighbors pit bull which has terrorized our cat. I would have figured a fox would have only gotten a couple to eat right then and not up against the house. But to have gotten 11 all at once. It really puzzled me.

 

[DivaChick]

It IS quite baffling how multiple chickens can go missing! ALL 7 of my silkies were gone this morning when we awoke and went out to feed them- there chicken coopand run is over 6 ft tall of wire- (however we completed it yesterday but didnt have time to put the roof on) and something got in the enclosure (over the top of it) and climbed over 6 ft, ate 7 chickens and then got back out??? i am so completely at a loss for words, and terribly sad.....
Im guessing a fox climbed the wire and back out??? any thoughts???
needless to say--- we are putting the roof on tonight, and now i have to replenish my Silkie flock.

 

[AnotherSusan]

Could have been raccoons. A friend of mine had a 7 foot tall run and was losing chickens during the day. She happened to come out one day and find a raccoon sitting on top of the run with a chicken in it's mouth. After she fenced the top of the run, the chickens were safe.

Raccoons are very clever, persistent and stronger than you think.

AnotherSusan

 

[DamselinFlannel]

Definitely could be raccoons or some other small predator. In my experience with dogs killing chickens, the dog doesn't eat them. It just mauls them, kills them, and leaves the carcasses. Even if it did eat some of them, you would definitely find pieces. :-( I'm so sorry. I know how frustrating this is.

 

[Honeysuckle383]

I just caught the dog in our yard this morning. I think it carried them off.

 

[DivaChick]

@Honeysuckle- glad you found your culprit!
and to Susan- really Racoons?? hmm..interesting!!
All the eggs my sweet silkies were laying on were also broken onto the floor of their coop---
my better half said the killings must have happened inside the actual coop- and then whatever it was tried to climb back over the 7ft high coop----bc there were feathers on the wire--
but no missing or torn wire ANYWHERE.... so it definitely came over the top...
i hate this just breaks my heart--- i had two hens that were the mommas (my Roo passed away earlier this week from old age) and then 5 babies--- all gone

 

[blooming silkie]

We have possums ( very mean) that climb and have actually caught a female possum climbing the neighbors coop fence in the middle of the day. They had been missing baby chicks...needless to say the possum was captured and since then, they have not had any missing chickens!