Missing Chick

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macksmom98

macksmom98

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Anyone have any idea what would make a 8 week old chick totally disappear, leaving no trace? I went to feed this morning and am down 1. But not signs of it. Of a predator got to it I would be expect to see at least feathers, probably partial body too. I live in town so we don't have anything too big, like coyotes or fox....
 
I don't know how big your birds of prey are down there, or whether one could get to your chicks, but have you considered a hawk or something? That would be my first guess.
 
Can't be a bird, they are fully enclosed. Has to be something that can get in from underneith. My first thoughts would be opossum or raccoon, but wouldn't they leave some evidence?
 
Coons and foxes are notorious for dragging chicks off to eat them somewhere else. Do you have those in your area?

And living in town doesn't mean there aren't predators. They're just faster. I've seen Coyotes in the suburbs of Chicago. The most prevalent predator of city chickens are domestic dogs. Do your neighbors have dogs?

Just as an FYI for chickens, for predators:

Coons will grab what they can, they'll only leave a mess if they get stuck in the coop or can't pull the chicken out without a fight.

Opossums will leave a mess, but usually will only attack when the chicks are outside the coop.

Foxes will leave nothing. You won't see them. They won't see you. They're smarter than you. They'll take your chicks and you'll only know because there will suddenly be one or two fewer. The only time you'll know it's a fox is if they actually get into the coop. Then they just go ballistic in there. It'll be a slaughterhouse.

Coyotes or dogs: You'll see nothing. Maybe a small patch of feathers where they picked it up. Maybe a head if they left that. But probably nothing. If it's a dog, you're more likely to find feathers and blood - they're not as smart.

Birds of prey - You'll find the head or feather patch where they tore the throat out, unless the chicks are small enough to be carried off.

Snakes - Snakes don't eat chickens unless the chicks are small or the snakes are huge. You'll find a snake in your coop. They're sort of dumb.

Skunk - they'll almost always get into your coop and get stuck. You'll find a ton of dead chicks. Oh, and a skunk. That's always amazingly fun.

Domestic cat - you'll find a dead bird. Usually only the smaller ones.

Bobcat - you'll find feathers at the site of the kill.

Lion - they eat you.

Weasels/rats/other small slinky rodent things - they'll leave feathers in a trail where they drag it off. They're more likely to eat small chickens and eggs.

That's about all the predators I've had experience with. Give me a day and I'll think of some more!
 
They had a hole under the fence to their pen . Nothing stuck inside. My guess, in town, and with our situation would probably be raccoon then. I haven't found any evidence, except a few small feathers around the hole that were so few it looked like the normal amount I find around the cages. The hole is barely big enough for a small raccoon, and the chicks aren't small enough or smart enough to get out of there on their own. There is no way it can be a coyote, dog, or fox. Our backyard is cometely enclosed and there is no entrance near big enough for them to get in. And the gate was not open, that's the first thing I checked. I am really still suprised there is no feather trail. It has been windy, so maybe that was a contributing factor. But I walked the outside and inside perimeter of our yard and neighbors yard, and the field behind us and found nothing. Made me have a little hope that maybe it just escaped somehow, but I am sure I would have heard it. They don't like to be far from their cage mates or food. And nothing. Thanks for the input and let me know if you do think of anything else!
 
RHodgson":1yvkt98s said:
Snakes - Snakes don't eat chickens unless the chicks are small or the snakes are huge. You'll find a snake in your coop. They're sort of dumb.
Click to expand...
Snakes are infuriating to me! I have had multiple instances of them getting into a coop with young ones growing out - pretty much fully feathered. Usually 4'-6' black snakes. They swallow them head first to the wings, then regurgitate them :x . So not only am I out a chicken (or guinea) or two (or more!) but they didn't even get a meal out of the darn thing so they come back still hungry :evil:

How big is the hole? A perfect circle or obvious dig marks? What kind of fencing do you have around the coop?
 
The hole is maybe 6in all the way around. It's wood fence on one side and temporary fencing on the other 3 as well as around the top. I dod reinforce a lot of the gaps by putting cinder blocks in place.
We live where the temps are in the 70's and 80's still, so they don't go in at night. My older hens do go in the coop every evening, but the 2 groups can't mix yet and I don't have anything else permanent. So we made the chicks their own pen and for 8 weeks or so it's worked well. We do have a couple of stray cats that hang around, so it could potentially be them but I sure would have thought there would be a drag trail at least....
 
I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but now that whatever it was found a meal, it may be back for dessert.

We have had to do a lot to prevent losses here, mostly due to coons, rats and snakes. We put scrap cage wire between our shed and the attached coop/run, we put down some concrete over that, we put up a solar electric fence, and we are in the process of adding a two foot high ring of stones around the coop. I would look around for whatever I could find and reinforce the coop every way from Sunday.

Another thing we changed is how we introduce little ones to the flock. Once they are feathered, they go to a sectioned off section of the coop and stay there a couple weeks so everyone can get used to each other. Then they get added to the flock, usually at about 8-9 weeks. There is a bit of chasing, but nothing bad, and they mingle quickly. It seems to help them acclimate and it adds protection .

*fingers crossed for no more losses*
 
I figured it would and I did my best to make the cage more safe, but they are all gone this morning:(. Just their heads this time tho. And the older gals are just fine and unphased.
 
For snakes we use snake be gone
http://www.bestreviews.guide/snake-repellents

Could the chick have gotten out then been snatched by a predator? We've had raccoons lately. But that's because my in laws refuse to do any work to their coop. Chickens get out, raccoons get in. It's a mess. Never underestimate your neighbors either. Living in town adds to the predator list, humans. We had someone stealing peoples chickens it our little town. Full grown chickens.
Just a thought,
Cathy
 
They didn't get out, something got in. 2 headless bodies in the pen and one dragged outside a few feet.....they dug under the fence whatever it was.
 
macksmom98":21o9mtvf said:
They didn't get out, something got in. 2 headless bodies in the pen and one dragged outside a few feet.....they dug under the fence whatever it was.
Click to expand...

Based on that, my guess is it's a fox or skunk. You have some options here.

Option 1 - set a foot trap inside where it dug under the fence and put dead birds inside the fence. Shoot the animal you catch. 1-10 on the ethical and humane scale: 3. It will suffer before you kill it.

Option 2 - wire one of the dead birds directly to the pan of a foot trap. 1-10 on the ethical and humane scale: -6. You will catch it by the face and it will suffer. A lot.

Option 3 - Poison one of the chick bodies and set it out tonight. 1-10 on the ethical and humane scale: -4. It's quicker.

Option 4 - Set up tonight with a firearm and wait for the predator. 1-10 on the ethical and humane scale: 8 if you're a bad shot, 10 if you're good.

Option 5 - bury poultry netting around the fence 10"-12" to exclude the digging predator. 1-10 on the ethical and humane scale: 10. But the predator is still around.

It's coming back, I'll guarantee that.
 
Those are good options, and I have a trigger happy husband so I THINK he would probably jump at the chance to shoot something. I just don't know of he's up for an all nighter. Is there any way of knowing what time of night they might come back?
 
If it's a fox, it will be either really late dusk or really early morning. Like just as it's almost dark, or just as it's almost light. If it's a coon. All night. They're up partying all night.

My suggestion is tonight sit up until it's well dark. If it's a fox, though, they're smarter than we are, so you might not see anything. Then wake up well before dawn and sit out there until mid-morning. Obviously you want to be somewhere hidden.

Worse comes to worse, get a trail cam and see what you get pictures of.

Really, traps are your best bet. You can use the live-traps, but just remember that if you miss once, you make a smarter predator. Foot traps work best. Never aim to relocate a predator. Just eliminate.
 
I have a trap, one that just enclosed
It and doesn't hurt it, but we will shoot whatever it is, I don't plan on relocating it. Can I put a dead bird in it and stick it back in their pen? Or will the predator know they are gone and move to the bigger live ones? I ask because we have a lot of cats around. They have been here forever and I do not suspect them to have gotten in the chicks pen, but I also don't want them caught in the trap!
 
macksmom98":3pn33btn said:
I have a trap, one that just enclosed
It and doesn't hurt it, but we will shoot whatever it is, I don't plan on relocating it. Can I put a dead bird in it and stick it back in their pen? Or will the predator know they are gone and move to the bigger live ones? I ask because we have a lot of cats around. They have been here forever and I do not suspect them to have gotten in the chicks pen, but I also don't want them caught in the trap!
Click to expand...

If it's a big hav-a-hart trap, it won't work for foxes, if that's what it is. You might catch a young, small, dumb one. But any adult foxes will smell it coming.

CATS. I guaran-damn-tee it's the cats. I'll bet you it's a cat. Where there are cats, there are dead chicks. Every time.

Put your live trap out with a dead bird in it = catch a coon or a possum. Foxes aren't too keen on carrion when there's fresh meat around. Stick a can of sardines in oil in the back of the trap. That's a new stink and they'll love it.

I will put money on it being a cat.
 
Just put the trail cam out last night, and about to see what it was! Nothing Friday night, but Saturday night it came back and got a big hen. Out of the coop dragged her down the ramp and behind out shed. Last 2 remaining hens have been in a dog crate in our garage last night. Doing this til I can modify their cage:)
 

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