What got my hen?

[Hteeter2]

I went out this morning to my coop which is surrounded by a dog kennel to find the door open. The night before I had that door closed properly. Well this morning my girls were trying to come out, so I got them back inside the run where they belong to discover one gone. At first I thought she had gotten out before I came down. Then I notice a lot of feathers in the run and then a trail of feathers leading away from the run. There was no body anywhere to be seen, and only the one hen was attacked. I don't understand any of this.... She wasn't even the smallest of my flock; my rooster is the smallest of the whole flock since he is a bantam. It wasn't as if she was sick or old either... I live in SW Florida.......

 

[andreanar]

Do you have a latch on your coop door? We lock ours because raccoons are pretty smart and can manipulate door knobs.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Coons are very smart and can open doors. They usually drag the body away too. Sorry for your loss!

 

[andreanar]

Usually, with a totally missing chicken, and no other dead ones laying around, I would suspect fox, coyote, something along those lines. Possum, coon, weasel...usually leave carnage. But with the door being open, who knows, unless a human opened the door and forgot to close it.

 

[Hteeter2]

Usually, with a totally missing chicken, and no other dead ones laying around, I would suspect fox, coyote, something along those lines. Possum, coon, weasel...usually leave carnage. But with the door being open, who knows, unless a human opened the door and forgot to close it.

I'm the only one that goes in and out on a normal basis. Nobody was down there except for me, and I'm sure I shut it up last night. I get everything closed up every single time I leave, and walk maybe a few steps before looking back to double check it's good. I'll even look out my window down there; just to make sure it looks like it's closed up properly. Sometimes I can get a little paranoid about it being done right; I've even walked down there to triple check it before. This is my first flock ever, so I tend to double check everything... Nervous first timer....

 

[Hteeter2]

Do you have a latch on your coop door? We lock ours because raccoons are pretty smart and can manipulate door knobs.

It's a latch on the run/dog kennel surrounding the coop... What kind of lock should I get?

 

[Criticalicious]

A key padlock works great, although some people use simple carabiners. Personally I use key padlocks at night and a carabiner during the day, when I might be going in and out.

 

[Flockandfowl46]

I would say a coin or a young black bear...sorry for your loss hun and get you a padlock and maybe an electric fence placed about 6 inches off ground and another strand about 24 inches up

 

[llombardo]

I'm the only one that goes in and out on a normal basis. Nobody was down there except for me, and I'm sure I shut it up last night. I get everything closed up every single time I leave, and walk maybe a few steps before looking back to double check it's good. I'll even look out my window down there; just to make sure it looks like it's closed up properly. Sometimes I can get a little paranoid about it being done right; I've even walked down there to triple check it before. This is my first flock ever, so I tend to double check everything... Nervous first timer....

I am the same way. Imagine my surprise last week when I realized the next day I did not lock one area of the coop. I was horrified. I triple check stuff and it still got past me. It happens.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Howard E]

I went out this morning to my coop which is surrounded by a dog kennel to find the door open. The night before I had that door closed properly. Well this morning my girls were trying to come out, so I got them back inside the run where they belong to discover one gone. At first I thought she had gotten out before I came down. Then I notice a lot of feathers in the run and then a trail of feathers leading away from the run. There was no body anywhere to be seen, and only the one hen was attacked. I don't understand any of this.... She wasn't even the smallest of my flock; my rooster is the smallest of the whole flock since he is a bantam. It wasn't as if she was sick or old either... I live in SW Florida.......

The way I am reading this, not only was the coop door open, but so was the run? So not one door open, but two? How did that happen?

Also, if possible, snap a couple photos of your setup. Coop, run, latches, locks, etc. Pictures being worth 1,000 words and all that.

What a lot of folks discover is that what they though was secure when they built the thing really isn't. Pictures allow informed eyes to spot these things so as to allow a much better recommendation on how to beef things up.