The following are the most likely reasons that chickens disappear are missing or hiding plus watch our featured video of a sweet hen named Kippy Kip who was found after several days missing. Anyone who has raised chickens for very long has most likely felt the frustrating feeling of loss when one of their chickens has gone missing. The worse case of having a missing chicken is finding fluffs of the missing chickens feathers scattered about which is a pretty clear indication that a predator has taken your chicken but there are other reasons chickens come up missing and oftentimes, they even return.
Photo: Betty Jo and Goldie at Chicken Heaven On Earth.
When a chicken disappears from your flock a number of things could have happened and many times they return unscathed.
Hens who disappear without a trace
All to often a broody hen will just seem to vanish from the flock. Hen's are excellent at hiding when they want to hatch their eggs. It takes 21 days to hatch chicken eggs so if your hen disappears it is quite possible she is hiding somewhere trying to become a mother. This can happen even if the eggs are not fertile if you do not have a rooster. If you hen is hiding a brood of eggs you may find her if you look closely in and under everything but most likely she will bring her chicks out of hiding after they are a few days old so she can feed them. If your hen does not reappear after a month's time, it is most likely she never will and there are several possible reasons, either she has wandered off to another property, a predator has taken her (predators prey on unprotected broody hens), she has fallen ill some place and may have died there, or someone has stolen her.
Roosters who disappear
Rooster's sometimes seem to disappear also but not for as long of a period of time. If your rooster doesn't come into the coop one night, start looking for him in high places like trees or on rooftops but look in low places too, especially with Bantam roosters. Roosters like to roost high up. A rooster will not willing abandon his hens and will usually stay near to protect them so if your rooster hides rather than go into your chicken coop it usually means there is a predator in your coop that the rooster is terrified of, such as a snake or another predator may be accessing the coop at night, so he finds another place to roost hoping his hens will follow his example. Worst case scenario, if your rooster is missing and never returns a predator (either animal, hawk, or human) has carried him off, usually while doing his duty of protecting his hens.
Missing Baby Chicks
If you have baby chicks disappearing there could be numerous predators that could be getting them but the most likely ones to take a baby chick with no other signs of disturbance are snakes, rats, raccoons, and cats. It is best to keep your baby chicks in a secure pen or coop until they are adults. Cats, dogs, snakes, and bobcats will consider a baby chick as a treat or a toy. If your chicken free ranges (even if it is only in your backyard) they can sometimes get caught in places you might not suspect such as getting caught in old chicken wire laying around, in thick weeds, or is trapped under a bucket or bin.
Chickens can get stuck in places
Keep your property free of debris, keep buckets and bins that could be tipped over easily by a chicken trying to roost on it. One time I had a Buff Orpington hen named Betty Jo who disappeared for two days. It was terribly hot outside and I couldn't figure out where she could be. I looked everywhere and there were no signs of predator intrusions, no holes in the poultry netting covering the run, no holes in the fencing or coop. I kept looking for her everywhere but I kept passing her up without seeing her but she was there. A large plastic storage bin that had been by the shed for years to catch rain water had tipped over on her. I could hear her crying weakly for me but could not find her. I was convinced she was under the shed I grabbed a shovel and started digging, that's when I bumped into the plastic bin and she cried out again, a very weak cry. Poor Betty Jo was under that bin for two days in 100 degree heat. I was terrified that she would die of heat stroke when I found her. I brought her in the house, wiped her down with a damp cloth (not cold because I did not want to put her in shock). While she was cooling down I got her some water to drink, a piece of bread to eat and a nice bath ready. After 10 minutes in the house I offered her the water and she drank thirstily, then she ate the bread like she was starving to death. This was a good sign. After her bath, I dried her and put her in a pet carrier for the night with a chicken diaper on so I could check on her periodically during the night. She survived and continued to live for 8 more years.
Keep the property mowed
Predators like tall weeds and most snakes and other predators will not venture into an open cleared, mowed area. Tall grass and weeds pose other dangers as well. One time, I heard one of my neighbors baby chicks peeping frantically for quite some time, I wondered why nobody was coming to help the chick and finally decided to go investigate. I knocked on the neighbors door but nobody was home, I followed the sound of the chicks cries and found a very tiny baby chick tangled in some sticky weed. I noticed the mother hen nearby with other baby chicks, so I loosed the stuck baby chick and it quickly returned to it's mother. Then I pulled the weed up and went back home to my own chickens and proceeded to check my property for weeds that could trap baby chicks and stickers which can injure chicken feet.
Predators are the #1 Reason Chickens Disappear
There are four main types of predators who prey on chickens, predatory animals, predatory birds, snakes, and humans who steal chickens. Red tail hawks, other kinds of hawks and eagles will quickly snatch a chicken from the yard without leaving a trace and some will snatch your chicken while you are standing there watching your birds. A covered run will prevent hawks from stealing your chickens. Sometimes, you may see some feathers if the chicken put up a good fight but most times you will not find any trace of the struggle, especially with passive breeds of chickens like Silkies and miniature Old English Bantams. Raccoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks and other predators like to hunt at night, if you have chickens disappearing from your coop at night you will need to secure your coop and set large live traps to catch the critter. Raccoons are smart and will find a way in if they can. They like to fiddle with locks and wires and have even been known to pull old chicken wire apart. The raccoon will usually catch the chicken and then carry it off to eat it. Check your chicken wire and fencing daily for holes or places where something has dug under. Get inside the coop if you can and look for ways a predator may be able to get in. You can prevent them from digging under the fence by putting 10 to 12 inches of hardware cloth on the ground and attached to the coop or run on the outside of it and by installing electric fencing. Human chicken thieves
Believe it or not there are actually people out there that will steal chickens. Had I not actually caught a chicken thief in the act of stealing my chicken with my security camera, I wouldn't have believed it. After the incident I looked up people who steal chickens on Google search and discovered many other people who have cameras on their coops were also catching chicken thieves stealing their chickens too! Some missing chicken stories have terrible endings because you will always wonder what happened to your chicken for a long time after it happens and this can be very stressful, especially for children who have no concept of death. Having a goodbye ceremony for the missing chicken can actually give some closure. However, there is always hope and a possibility that your chicken will return.
Hens who disappear without a trace
All to often a broody hen will just seem to vanish from the flock. Hen's are excellent at hiding when they want to hatch their eggs. It takes 21 days to hatch chicken eggs so if your hen disappears it is quite possible she is hiding somewhere trying to become a mother. This can happen even if the eggs are not fertile if you do not have a rooster. If you hen is hiding a brood of eggs you may find her if you look closely in and under everything but most likely she will bring her chicks out of hiding after they are a few days old so she can feed them. If your hen does not reappear after a month's time, it is most likely she never will and there are several possible reasons, either she has wandered off to another property, a predator has taken her (predators prey on unprotected broody hens), she has fallen ill some place and may have died there, or someone has stolen her.
Roosters who disappear
Rooster's sometimes seem to disappear also but not for as long of a period of time. If your rooster doesn't come into the coop one night, start looking for him in high places like trees or on rooftops but look in low places too, especially with Bantam roosters. Roosters like to roost high up. A rooster will not willing abandon his hens and will usually stay near to protect them so if your rooster hides rather than go into your chicken coop it usually means there is a predator in your coop that the rooster is terrified of, such as a snake or another predator may be accessing the coop at night, so he finds another place to roost hoping his hens will follow his example. Worst case scenario, if your rooster is missing and never returns a predator (either animal, hawk, or human) has carried him off, usually while doing his duty of protecting his hens.
Missing Baby Chicks
If you have baby chicks disappearing there could be numerous predators that could be getting them but the most likely ones to take a baby chick with no other signs of disturbance are snakes, rats, raccoons, and cats. It is best to keep your baby chicks in a secure pen or coop until they are adults. Cats, dogs, snakes, and bobcats will consider a baby chick as a treat or a toy. If your chicken free ranges (even if it is only in your backyard) they can sometimes get caught in places you might not suspect such as getting caught in old chicken wire laying around, in thick weeds, or is trapped under a bucket or bin.
Chickens can get stuck in places
Keep your property free of debris, keep buckets and bins that could be tipped over easily by a chicken trying to roost on it. One time I had a Buff Orpington hen named Betty Jo who disappeared for two days. It was terribly hot outside and I couldn't figure out where she could be. I looked everywhere and there were no signs of predator intrusions, no holes in the poultry netting covering the run, no holes in the fencing or coop. I kept looking for her everywhere but I kept passing her up without seeing her but she was there. A large plastic storage bin that had been by the shed for years to catch rain water had tipped over on her. I could hear her crying weakly for me but could not find her. I was convinced she was under the shed I grabbed a shovel and started digging, that's when I bumped into the plastic bin and she cried out again, a very weak cry. Poor Betty Jo was under that bin for two days in 100 degree heat. I was terrified that she would die of heat stroke when I found her. I brought her in the house, wiped her down with a damp cloth (not cold because I did not want to put her in shock). While she was cooling down I got her some water to drink, a piece of bread to eat and a nice bath ready. After 10 minutes in the house I offered her the water and she drank thirstily, then she ate the bread like she was starving to death. This was a good sign. After her bath, I dried her and put her in a pet carrier for the night with a chicken diaper on so I could check on her periodically during the night. She survived and continued to live for 8 more years.
Keep the property mowed
Predators like tall weeds and most snakes and other predators will not venture into an open cleared, mowed area. Tall grass and weeds pose other dangers as well. One time, I heard one of my neighbors baby chicks peeping frantically for quite some time, I wondered why nobody was coming to help the chick and finally decided to go investigate. I knocked on the neighbors door but nobody was home, I followed the sound of the chicks cries and found a very tiny baby chick tangled in some sticky weed. I noticed the mother hen nearby with other baby chicks, so I loosed the stuck baby chick and it quickly returned to it's mother. Then I pulled the weed up and went back home to my own chickens and proceeded to check my property for weeds that could trap baby chicks and stickers which can injure chicken feet.
Predators are the #1 Reason Chickens Disappear
There are four main types of predators who prey on chickens, predatory animals, predatory birds, snakes, and humans who steal chickens. Red tail hawks, other kinds of hawks and eagles will quickly snatch a chicken from the yard without leaving a trace and some will snatch your chicken while you are standing there watching your birds. A covered run will prevent hawks from stealing your chickens. Sometimes, you may see some feathers if the chicken put up a good fight but most times you will not find any trace of the struggle, especially with passive breeds of chickens like Silkies and miniature Old English Bantams. Raccoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks and other predators like to hunt at night, if you have chickens disappearing from your coop at night you will need to secure your coop and set large live traps to catch the critter. Raccoons are smart and will find a way in if they can. They like to fiddle with locks and wires and have even been known to pull old chicken wire apart. The raccoon will usually catch the chicken and then carry it off to eat it. Check your chicken wire and fencing daily for holes or places where something has dug under. Get inside the coop if you can and look for ways a predator may be able to get in. You can prevent them from digging under the fence by putting 10 to 12 inches of hardware cloth on the ground and attached to the coop or run on the outside of it and by installing electric fencing. Human chicken thieves
Believe it or not there are actually people out there that will steal chickens. Had I not actually caught a chicken thief in the act of stealing my chicken with my security camera, I wouldn't have believed it. After the incident I looked up people who steal chickens on Google search and discovered many other people who have cameras on their coops were also catching chicken thieves stealing their chickens too! Some missing chicken stories have terrible endings because you will always wonder what happened to your chicken for a long time after it happens and this can be very stressful, especially for children who have no concept of death. Having a goodbye ceremony for the missing chicken can actually give some closure. However, there is always hope and a possibility that your chicken will return.
References:
1. Video. I lost my chicken-A happy story. (Jan. 30,2017). Submitted by A chick called Albert. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQe_YLCG8-g
1. Video. I lost my chicken-A happy story. (Jan. 30,2017). Submitted by A chick called Albert. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQe_YLCG8-g
