What predator leaves feathers of 1 hen and takes 2 w/ no trace?

[midwestchickenwrangler]

I live in East-Central Indiana (Greenfield) and have lost 3 hens within a few days also. 2 of them went missing in one night with no trace of feathers or a struggle, just gone. the 3rd hen was taken by something last night while we were gone. All of my chickens are fully enclosed in runs with chicken wire on top also. I have heard of people stealing Silkies before, oddly enough, all the hens that were lost were Silkies. I know we have raccoons because they pick the ears, schuck and eat the corn off the cobb, then leave the cobbs for me to look at each morning. I am going to set a trap tonight and see what happens. Could it be any other predator?

 

[lutz123]

We lost 3 guineas to a fox that got in our garage a few nights ago. Our brooder (they were 2.5 months old but big) wasn't terribly secure (garage door wasn't latched properly). It carried off 3 without a trace...except that I saw her carrying one across the pasture. I had to have a fourth put down because she fractured one leg and dislocated the other in her panic. There were a few piles of feathers out in the yard but other than that there was no evidence.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[colebarnhart]

Sounds like it might be a coyote, they usually take everything without any trace, but sometimes do leave a few feathers.

 

[midwestchickenwrangler]

Quote:
I have been setting a trap every night since I lost my chickens. I caught 2 raccoons in a couple of nights. I went out to the coops one morning (I dont usually go to the coops in the morning) to give the chickens some scratch, and opened the silkie coop to find 3 baby raccoons in the coop. It took me 45 minutes to get them one-by-one in the trap to get rid of. Since then I have not caught anything, or lost any chickens.