Why Did Laying Hen and Chick Disappear Yesterday?

[KingFamilyChickens]

We have two laying hens and six chicks. We let them out of their coop around 7am and they hang out in the yard all day. Yesterday evening I noticed that one of the hens and one of the chicks had completely disappeared. No sign of a predator attack or anything. What could have happened?

We live on one acre cleared in the middle of dense woods. During the day the chickens often stay back in the woods and roost on fallen trees. They also hang out underneath our deck.

I've heard that foxes can be a problem, but they usually don't come out during the day. We have hawks, too - but our buff orpington hen seems like she'd be way too big for a hawk to pick up and fly off with.

Any suggestions on what we can do to prevent the remaining hen and chicks from disappearing while still allowing them to free-range?

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Welcome to BYC's - this is a great site for getting all kinds of information.

Build a tractor that you can move around the yard/property so they can still eat fresh greens and bugs but still not become an easy dinner to some preditor.

I have 4 cleared acres surrounded by woods that's home to red tail hawk, bald eages, coyote and the rest.

As funds allow, I'm building a 5' x 12' cattle panel tractor that I'll cover in chicken wire and hardware cloth on the bottom 2-3 feet with 1 ft apron extending beyond the frame.

For my 3 banties, I'm converting a 3 x 4' dog house into a banty coop/tractor with detachable run of 3' x 8'. I'll be done and get them in there this weekend.

Best of luck to you with yours.