What could take a BIG bird cleanly?

[thepick4uchicks]

What kind of predator could take a big bird during the daytime, without leaving a trace? I'm so disappointed, my Cornish Rock vanished from the flock yesterday. (No coop break-in, free ranging on 3 acres.) She was a big bird, easily over 10 lbs. There is not a drop of blood, not a single feather. Because of her size and the lack of mess I'm thinking it couldn't be hawk, dog, bobcat, raccoon. I'm in a part of Arkansas with no bears or weasels. Coyote is the only thing my mind can circle. Or a human. She was the slowest moving of my mixed flock, because of her size, and we've honestly wondered if someone caught her and snatched her! We've put up two game cameras but the damage is already done and I'm honestly not expecting to see anything on film. I failed her so badly.

Never doubt that a human would steal from you if the opportunity was there. They would if they could. As to all the other animals you listed they could easily as well. I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m just being very realistic. I have big hens. Mine are just chicks at 10 weeks and they weigh a lot. I have neighbors with big ones also and we have huge coon and possum problems as well as hawks and owls. We live rurally but in a small town so bobcats and coyotes are here and the coyotes do come in but not often. I have had coyotes come to my back gate after my dogs who are small but they didn’t get in. There were three big ones yet they didn’t jump it for some reason or push their way in. I think they smelled me there and were afraid. Howeve back to my hens which will be ten pounds at maturity and these coons have been easily taking ten pound hens around my neck of the woods. So it’s easily done by a coon or large possum.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Never doubt that a human would steal from you if the opportunity was there. They would if they could. As to all the other animals you listed they could easily as well. I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m just being very realistic. I have big hens. Mine are just chicks at 10 weeks and they weigh a lot. I have neighbors with big ones also and we have huge coon and possum problems as well as hawks and owls. We live rurally but in a small town so bobcats and coyotes are here and the coyotes do come in but not often. I have had coyotes come to my back gate after my dogs who are small but they didn’t get in. There were three big ones yet they didn’t jump it for some reason or push their way in. I think they smelled me there and were afraid. Howeve back to my hens which will be ten pounds at maturity and these coons have been easily taking ten pound hens around my neck of the woods. So it’s easily done by a coon or large possum.

Oh I didn’t say that these coons are also hunting during daylight hours also. Not scared of anything and one came up on my back porch when my chicks were in the house and tried to get in my house- now beat that..:!

 

[Sarkchick]

So so sorry. I'm in SE Arkansas and had a coyote take a LB chicken at a dead run. Not a single feather on the ground. Would not know what happened if I had not seen it.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Sorry for your loss. I feel like almost any animal bigger than the chicken could make that happen without leaving substantial evidence. So probably not rats, weasels, hawks, maybe not coons. But dogs? A big fox or cat? Yeah, anything bigger than the bird could do it easy. They just need the motivation to carry it off.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have had bobcat and coyotes take birds without a trace

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I have had bobcat and coyotes take birds without a trace

No doubting you there I have seen it and my neighbors have also.

 

[TARDIS37379]

My experience with bird loss with no evidence of a kill has been an owl or an eagle. We have several types of owls here that will take a chicken and carry them a good distance before stopping to kill and eat.
I’ve only lost one chicken to an eagle and it flew off out of sight with a 5 pound RIR in the talons.
I now cover my runs and limit free range when I’m outside.

 

[BrandySC]

I don't think about bobcats, we don't have them here. Any cougars there?
Mary

Not really.

 

[BrandySC]

Yeah we have cougars here but they generally hang around the river systems. Don't often venture out. We also have black bears. Don't let the game and fish fool you. I'm down south in Cleveland county and we have bear pictures on our game cams, where G&F keeps claiming they are not. They claimed we didn't have cougars either for a long time until we all kept posting pictures of them on their FB page. Then they tried to claim they might be around but are not breeding so we have started posting pics of lions with cubs.

All that said our fox and coyote population has been booming in the last decade. They have been getting braver and more bold around here. When I was a kid seeing a fox was rare, coyote was almost unheard of. Now I'm popping them out of my pasture mid day.

Good luck finding your bird.

Found out one of our neighbors saw two coyotes the morning it happened. I'm fearing that was the culprit.