# Dissappeared without a trace of struggle?



## jbond07 (Jun 19, 2013)

I'm very mad right now. My husband was supposed to keep my birds safe while I was out of town. He forgot to put them up last night. I came home this morning to find three of my birds missing. No feathers anywhere, no sign of a struggle, and my rooster is hanging closely to my white Delaware hens which is unusual. He usually sticks with the barred rocks he was raised with. What kind of predator leaves no trace of a struggle (lost of lost feathers) and leaves all the eggs in the coop untouched? I'm going to pick up 3 more laying hens tomorrow but dang it I am so upset about this. I would feel better if I had dead bodies and feathers to confirm my fear of them being killed by predators. None of these birds were broody either so that couldn't be it. They had never even started laying...


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## jbond07 (Jun 19, 2013)

*lots of lost feathers.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

I would give them a day or two before rushing out to by more. There has been plenty of posts on here were chickens have gone missing but really they just wandered off and show up a day or so later. I also wouldnt be so hard on your husband, it happens.


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## jbond07 (Jun 19, 2013)

Thanks for the encouraging advice. I'm hoping they show up soon. I haven't even talked to my husband about it yet because he sleeps until noon or later every day (he works nights) so I won't dig into him


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

It's been my experience that dogs as sometimes fixes will take the whole carcass and leave little behind. 
If it was breezy the wind could have blown away the evidence as well


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

A fox can remove that many in one night..and since they were roosting/sleeping, they don't put up any fight in the dark. Just like picking grapes at that point.


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## jbond07 (Jun 19, 2013)

They showed up two days later... No idea where they were...


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

What a relief. I'm glad all is well with them. I reckon they got caught in the woods after night and found a good tree to get into. Being chickens they likely were not in a hurry to get home the next day, as they probably found some good eats.


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## jbond07 (Jun 19, 2013)

That's what I'm guessing. The woods behind my house is on the river so its full of baby frogs, and all sorts of interesting snacks. I'm glad I didn't give my husband a hard time about leaving the coop open. Thanks!


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