All my chickens have disappeared

[CovidCorvid]

At some point last night or today. In an eglu cube, I haven’t shut the door to it in 25 years and never lost one before. There’s a small bit of the fence pushed up in one corner of the run. Could be by a fox but also they’ve pushed through and gone next door before. However no sign of them at the neighbours. Had a walk round the village and no sign. Appeal on fb and nobody has seen them.

There’s a handful of feathers about but not sure if it’s just normal feathers in the run amount as someone is always moulting. Certainly no piles of feathers, no blood. Six chickens vanished.

A fox for definite, other things may also attack them but when they vanish with no trace its almost certainly a fox.

Sorry - if will be a fox.

Sorry to hear that, it's really upsetting to lose them. Not seeing many feathers is hopefully a good sign though.

Would a fox take 6?

Hope you find them.

@Sally872

Would a fox take 6?

Hope you find them.

That’s what I’m not sure about? Plus they can fly as they have a roofed area with branches high up and fly up to those. So I’d have thought as the fox is killing one would the others not scarper? Or if it happened in the night do they just not wake?

They wouldn’t have flown away. They’re all very tame. Two of them are over ten years old and never left home of their own accord!

A fox took one of my hens in the night- she was roosting on top of the hen house that night- same approach skipped I’m under a weakness in the fenced I haven’t noticed and took her- very little feathers and totally gone, felt awful for days. At night they are too dopey to put up much fight or fuss and a fox will keep coming back for more .. sorry OP xx

Sorry should say - fox dug under a weakness in the fence - really small gap worn down by the rain

No, they wouldn't roost or fly or fight. Sorry op, but they had a better life than 99.9% of the world's chickens

My friend had all hers stolen in the night. 40 hens. Same thing happened two years later. They could be seen from a main road but were well away from the house.

Not stolen. Garden 100% burglary proof unless someone squuezes through the thickest conifer hedge or over an 8ft gate. Plus nobody steals 10yo chickens. The younger ones possibly

My last old girl was killed by a fox😭 not sure how to put this for anybody squeamish but it was in bits all over the run and only the head was taken. Would there not be more than a few feathers around if it was a fox?

My friend’s were all ages, they took the lot. They’d not be able to age a sleeping hen in the dark..
But good that you don’t think it’s that.