What would do this?

[brairgirl]

At first I thought maybe a fox or coyote was getting our free range chickens... The chickens only free range during the day and are locked up at night. So I thought it was a little odd but whatever.

Then yesterday a chicken that went missing last week turned up. She just waltzed right into the chicken run and hung out with her buddies.. I had to count our RIR several times before I was satisfied that we actually had all 8.. She didn't have any wounds on her that I could see.

I thought she was killed by some predator because I found a BUNCH of feathers. I am really hoping our hen, Blanch, that went missing Monday (or Tuesday I can't remember) comes back. I found her hen saddle and a trail of feathers (just like what I found with the red hen), I couldn't follow it because it stopped.

We had another hen that on Monday (or Tuesday, it was the same day as Blanch went missing) was attacked in of the rooms connected to our chicken coop (not by a door but it is in the same building). I found a bunch of feathers on the ground but she was on part of the broken wall making loud chicken noises, acting indignant.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If it was during the day then most likely a dog, cat or hawk. Less likely a fox or coyote. At dusk it could be anything.

I've had birds come back after a couple days but usually roosters.

Perhaps she was attacked and ran off escaping and got lost, eventually finding her way back.

 

[brairgirl]

It was in the middle of the day..
I would think a fox or coyote would kill them before trying to take them off..... I have a feeling it was taking the dumb ones that went into the brush or by the brush... That's why I have to keep one of the roosters in!

But the other chickens seem to know not to go back there....



Its not one of our cats, they ignore the chickens or in Holly's case, she dust bathes with them But we have a tom cat that come by every once in a while, but he too ignores the chickens. And since letting our dogs run out side, the stray cats haven't come around, other than the Tom which comes at night or when the chickens are out and dogs are up.

Not our dogs, we have to keep 2 of them up when the chickens are out because they kill them. the 2 pups like to catch them and eat their feathers. Hasn't harmed one yet, that's why the get supervised with the chickens. But I don't think they have even been munchin' on chicken feathers lately.

We live in the middle of no where our house is on 10 acres , we are at the southern edge, and we have 2 neighbors 1/4 mile away. One of the neighbors has 2 small dogs that never cross the highway. The other neighbors old dog doesn't come this way.. But I guess someone could have dumped off a dog, it has happened before. But I have a feeling our dogs would have known, they don't like intruders.




Hawks, do they swoop down into trees and such.... I had the feeling the didn't... But the hens that went missing, their feathers were under a low hanging tree (like a foot off the ground)...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The middle of nowhere is where morons like to dump dogs and cats, not to mention trapped vermin they don't have the heart to off themselves.
Dogs are by far my worst predator here in the burbs, though I did lose one of my best hens to a possum a couple nights ago.
I trap often.

I once had a hawk pick up one of my pullets during a particularly vicious hawk attack and couldn't hold on so dropped it in the courtyard of an old folks home about a quarter mile away. I got the bird back without a scratch on her.

 

[brairgirl]

I just don't know what wouldn't kill them.. Urg. It is kind of irritating..

People don't usually come down the road we live on, because we are the only ones that live on it. But I could see someone dumping off some kind of critter by one of our neighbors houses and coming down here.

I guess it could be a hawk. But where I found some of Blanch's feather would be weird for a hawk.



I just hope Blanch isn't dead and that maybe she will come back.

Do you think a rat would take them but not kill them?


I looked over the chicken that came back yesterday doesn't have any wounds just some missing feathers.

 

[JackE]

A fox WILL attack in the daytime. I found that out the hard way. Sometimes they will run in and just take one. Other times, especially if they have kits to take care of, they will take several, killing them all over the yard and coming back to take them away one at a time.
Jack

 

[brairgirl]

I think that if it was a fox it would have killed them... But one came back :/

 

[JackE]

I think that if it was a fox it would have killed them... But one came back :/

After my second attack, I had nine lost, but the next morning when I looked out to the coop, two of the missing were on the coop's steps. One of them was untouched, the other had lost her tail feathers. During the attack, they had (I would guess) run off and hid. The attack was between 5 and 6 PM. We looked all over for the missing pullets, but found nothing but feathers scattered around. The fox had pursued them practically to my front steps.
Jack

 

[chooks4life]

Canine or vulpine would be my best bet. What you're describing sounds like a fox or dog's work. If you're not sure 100% that it's not your dogs, look there first, because it sounds like the work of an inexperienced hunter. I'd advise you to possibly get a cheap recording camera set up, because if it's happened twice, it'll likely keep happening until you find and stop the culprit.

 

[brairgirl]

I am sure its not our dogs.. The two that like to eat the feathers (the only 2 allowed out when the chickens are out) never go back to where I have found all the scattered feathers..

But I at least hope Blanch comes back.. But if she doesn't she doesn't I guess