[plumseverywhere]

looks like we've lost our first chicken in 3 years to either mr fox or mr buzzard. Not a happy bunny currently.  yesterday after doing  lots of work for an xmas fete I came home to realise only 13 heads came bobbing up at feeding time. at 4.30pm locked them up,k only 13 still.
this morning, no sign of errant hen returning but instead of large footprints that came up to some chicken prints where said hen used to scale electric fence to 'dig' my veg patch and compost heap. looks like she's gone
 no feathers, blood or any other evidence though. quite a mystery as all would be more obvious in the current white carpet of snow?!

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thats sad news,

  if there are no fox prints then perhaps it was a buzzard as you say. This weather makes the preditors more hungry and the pray more obvious. Your sad story is a little reminder to us all that the danger is always there. At this time of year it's always so hard to balence keeping them safe with letting them out and about to have some fun.

Mine refuse to come out of the coop at the moment so I am keeping the run locked. I am worried that a fox could walk straight into the run and get them all while they shelter in the coop. I miss seeing them out and about but the snow is so deep that they would disapear under it.

At least your bold little hen was enjoying her freedom to range when she was taken and a lack of evidence would sugest that it was instant.

Buffy

[Cinderhills]

Oh dear, sorry to hear that.  Very strange there are no footprints or feathers.  We lost a turkey to a fox the other night.  Couldn't believe it.  It was so large that it only ate the head and left the body.  What a waste!

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Oh no, one of your lovely turkeys!

     It really is a challenge allowing them out at all at the moment. Was it one that was roosting on the shed? Or did the fox get into their stable?

Buffy

[moorlander]

Interested you mentioning 'potential buzzard attack'.
I heard a commotion a week or so ago and went round to my runs. On the other side of far wire of the layers' run were a load of feathers and on my approach a bird flew off mighty quick.
My hens were all huddled in a corner away from this event and some had run for cover in teh henhouse.
I'm pretty sure it was a sparrowhawk (seen usually around here at wild bird breeding time) who had taken a pigeon.
I'm pretty sure that all my birds are now out of the sparrowhawk league as they are not over-large birds of prey and my chickens are fully grown.
Let's hope my little sparrowhawk doesn't have delusions of granduer and take on buzzard-sized victims.
Hope you can sort the problem. Commiserations over your poor air-lifted hen.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

When I went out this morning there were rabbit tracks across the orchard, the tracks got a little deeper for a few strides and a bit disturbed then abruptly disapeared. The rabbit must have been grabbed and lifted without trace.

I also saw a buzzard being botherd by a crow the same day so its worth bearing in mind that its not just the foxes that you have to watch out for.


Buffy

[Cinderhills]

Was it one that was roosting on the shed? Or did the fox get into their stable?

Buffy

They were roosting on my vegetable cage but due to the snow the thing collapsed.  They still roosted on it the next night however because it was so close to the ground they were easy pickings.  Thankfully the other 4 now roost on the trees near the house.

[hairyhetty]

i lost 9 white sussex in a week a short while back. no /feathers/body/blood nothing! i was convinced it was buzzards as they circle our chicken field but everyone i asked said chickens are 2 big for a buzzard! can buzzards take chickens? incidentally, the best breeding ones were taken!

[plumseverywhere]

mystery was 99% solved yesterday - fox was stood next to the coop eyeing up his next meal, until I chased him swearing and shouting that is! they must be desparate in this cold weather and like I said to hubby, I suppose in a way its better that he only took one and made a meal of it rather than just massacreing my whole flock for the 'sport'. perhaps that is just me trying to make myself feel better though!

[hairyhetty]

i lost my whole flock in one evening to a fox once, found bodies a few fields away most most killed next to their house. was so upset i didnt get more chickens for 2 years!

[hairyhetty]

and they name tikka made me laugh, wev got 2 rabbits called pie and sausage!