What's killing my chickens?

[Breeann1221]

Over the last week and a half I have lost 6 of my 23 chickens. They have been free ranging for over a year and I have not had a predator problem until now. I've always locked them up at night but they seem to be getting picked off any way. Either before I lock the coop up or after I let them out in the morning. Hard saying since it's hard to get a count on them during the day while they are out roaming.
Anyway, I have not found any chicken bodies at all. No wings, no heads, no legs, no nothing. Just a feather trail leading into the woods behind our house. Any idea what would just leave a feather trail? And be so bold as to attack out chickens when we have two dogs that roam our property a good portion of the day.
I just set up two trail cams today... one facing out the coop door and one facing the woods in the general direction that the feather trails seem to lead. So hopefully in the next couple days I have some answers so I know how to trap it and move it elsewhere.
Just curious what you guys think.
Thank you in advance!

 

[sourland]

Fox, coyote, bobcat, fisher (depending upon your location). If you trap and relocate it will most likely return trap educated and shy. The homing instinct and range of most mammalian predators is very large.

 

[ocap]

I have lost chickens and guineas to the coyote, opossum, and hawk. I have also seen bobcat and fox.

 

[grayjay11o]

In my experience, it's normally foxes that leave a feather trail.

 

[Rick M]

The few we have lost have always been during early fall when the stupid hawks are on the move. Thinking it's all young hawks just trying to establish new areas. Your losses sound/appear to be fox or other similar smaller 4 leg preditor to me.

 

[ellenscoop]

I am so sorry, predators are awful Have you tried using the poultry predatory identifier tool? http://www.poultrydvm.com/predator-identifier.php

 

[MountainGaurdian]

Leaving a trail of feathers into the woods.... Here I would consider.. Coyote, neighboring dog or Raccoon as the most likely culprits. There would be the off chance of a bobcat, lynx or wolf here as well but that would be quite uncommon.

Have you followed the feather trail to where the chicken was eaten? That would likely give a better idea of what you are dealing with. A neighbor dog would likely take it back home to eat it or leave it lay in the yard. A coyote will haul it off just far enough to feel safe and hidden to eat the bird. A coon likely the same as a coyote will just haul it off far enough to feel safe to eat it, though raccoons are far more commonly night predators, so if your birds are going missing in the day coons are less likely to be the culprit.

One thing about coons is that they are incredibly good at getting into a chicken coup, do you have any holes or loose boards or a gap in wire or anything that one could use to gain access? Are your trails of feathers originating at the coup or from around the grounds? If from the coup I would look at nocturnal coon activity. If around the grounds then it is likely a daylight raid and more likely coyote or neighbor dog.

 

[Peppercorngal]

We used to have a problem during the day with coyotes and (believe it or not) stray dogs. They would race in from the wooded area into the free range area, quickly grab a hen and run like the dickens back into the woods. We put up a 4 foot fence around the free range area and have lost no birds since. It was expensive because the area is so large, but the chickens are safe during the day now and that is what counted for me! Do it if you can afford it!

 

[Joev1973]

My opinion ...feather trail = coyote

 

[ocap]

subtle difference? We were at church one summer Sunday, the guineas were learning to fly and free range, I had not yet decided that the seven wire electric fence was affordable, coyote killed 29 of my 50 guineas, coyote came back and collected carcasses as needed, I shot it when he was brazen enough to sit and scratch 40 yards from my bedroom window, I enjoyed the lament of his family that night. I think one at a time is fox and multiple dead is done more for the joy of killing.