4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[kimbo_frog]

I cant believe this myself...

 

We locked the 5 girls up as usual and watched the approaching storm last night...

 

Went to let them out this morning and they were all gone!

 

One of the 3in side panels had been ripped off but it has the nesting boxes on the inside...so cant work out how anything would get inside...

 

No sign of a struggle...no blood...nothing!...

 

I have been searching the neighbourhood to no avail...

 

The ex-batts have been moulting like mad the last week or so...

 

I assumed if there was a struggle or a fox taking the chickens anywhere there would be a trail of feathers...but nothing anywhere...

 

The other chickens in the other coop in the garden were fine....

 

I just cant believe all 5 have gone!...1 or 2 maybe but 5!!!???

 

Im absolutely gutted!...my kids are really upset...Im totally in shock...

 

We have had chickens for 18months with no incidents...

 

We had a 7ft wall built instead of the "Ooops, word censored!"py bush and half fence that was there before...to make it safer...

 

We cant work out how a fox would really get into the garden without leaving some trace...

 

All I wanted to do was give some ex-batt girls a better life...

 

I feel so guilty...

 

I didnt think there was any chance of anything hurting them...

 

Im now worried that something is going to happen to my other girls...

 

I really dont know what to do now...

 

Kim

[daj198]

Kim, that's so sad. I can't think where they could have got to. Is there a chance that the storm broke the side panel off and your girls walked away?

 

Don't let this stop you adopting more, your girls will have had much more freedom than about 20 million others. They're still the lucky ones.

 

I hope you find them soon.

[Scramble]

I'm so sorry

I hope they turn up,

all you can do is wait...

[Egluntyne]

How awful for you.

 

I wonder if the predators were two legged?

 

Any signs of teethmarks or digging?

 

If not I think I'd call the police.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Goodness, bless you, so sorry for all concerned. Might sound a silly question but could they have been stolen, if the panel was removed, no trace of a struggle or fight sounds like they were maybe removed carefully when sleeping.

 

What a horrendous shock.

Hope you find your chickens, maybe ask all neighbours if they heard or saw anything suspicious. What an unsettling experience for you.

 

Abundant Blessings,

Ms Tillyhopesyou'reallokayandchickensarefoundsafeandwellsoon.

[SarahJo]

OMG - like Eglutine has said - is there a possibility of vandalism, the chooks might have been scared away, rather than dragged by a fox

 

Really bad luck - none of us can cover every concievable situation, we would all go mad. You did your best - hugs xox

[kimbo_frog]

Thanx for your replies....x

 

I have tried to think how they could have got out....but the garden in very secure...as none of them has ever got out before...

 

I thought of "foul-play" but why they didnt use main door or why they shut it with all 3 clasps...also anyone entering over wall would have surely moved trellis on top of walls and fence as only attached with couple of nails...

 

Ive looked at the panel and its a weird place to get removed by the storm and it was nailed in place...and it looks like its been prised away...

 

We do have foxes in the neighbourhood but never had problems with them before and we should be rather tempting with all our garden zoo over the years...

[Stevie]

Im thinking of theft too like Egluntine as theres no feathers,blood or sign of struggle-foxes dont cover their tracks.Chooks are pretty sleepy at night and wouldnt pose much of a problem to steal.Report it to the Police so atleast they're aware that poultry theft is going on.

[abwsco]

How awful for you

 

Was the ripped off bit a big piece or from overlapping sections like on some sheds. Only asking as the breeder we got our new girls from had had a fox attack the night before and it had ripped off 3 sections to get into the coop.

[kimbo_frog]

Hi Anne

 

Yes the section was a whole length of overlap panel...but its the bottom piece which covers the floor of the shed and just a bit above the floor...which i wouldnt consider big enough for a fox or a chicken to squeeze through....

 

Kim

[daj198]

I hadn't thought of theft. On second thoughts, it seems the most likely option. Perhaps someone thought the reason they were not fully feathered (I assume) was because you had been treating them badly and so they staged a "rescue". Just a thought...

[lisa33]

How awful for you.

[Guest]

oh I'm sos orry, I'd be heartbroken. It does sound like theft doesn't it. I'd report it to the police and hopefully they'll do something. My heart goes out to you as you did everthing to protect them.

 

xxxx

[abwsco]

Hi Anne

 

Yes the section was a whole length of overlap panel...but its the bottom piece which covers the floor of the shed and just a bit above the floor...which i wouldnt consider big enough for a fox or a chicken to squeeze through....

 

Kim

 

Yes, they're not that big are they and just one I don't know how much they'd squeeze down but I would have thought that you'd see scratch marks and possibly tooth marksif it was a fox. We could see them on the breeders coop. Very odd when there is no blood or feathers as well.

[kimbo_frog]

a total mystery!!...

 

No one can see in my garden either apart from ajoining neighbours...

 

I dont understand why they didnt take the other chooks if they wanted them all...

 

everyone that knows I have chickens would know they were ex-batts and were ragged to start with...

 

will contact the police and see what they say....

 

 

Kim.x

[Troy]

Thats very very sad and I really feel for you Kim.

Call the police they wont take it lightly and they will inspect the run for you. They should be able to determine whether it was a planned theft for you.

 

Hope your children are ok too.

troy

[The Brown Clan]

OMG! How awful for you,

 

I also think it was theft judging by the lack of blood and feathers as well as scratch marks and teeth marks !!! Hopfully the Police will investigate it. A fox may be cunning but it does not clean up its scene of crime

[daj198]

What doesn't make much sense is why someone would take the ex-batts but not the others. And why not the eglu? Surely if you were going to take something you'd take the stylish, easy-to-clean, modern eglu? It's all a bit strange.

 

I hope you recover from the shock of it all and get a good nights sleep!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

How awful . You poor thing, you must be a bit shell-shocked by this .

 

Keep us posted on what happens if you contact the police.

[kimbo_frog]

Dom, the reason they didnt take the eglu is...I dont have it anymore!

I have only just sold it !!...

 

I have converted my shed into a larger house for all my girls...

as I was expecting the ex-batts and could not get a cube quickly enough...

 

My other 3 girls had been sleeping in the small hen house in the same area...

 

As you can tell by the time...Im up on patrol again...

cant bear the thought of losing anymore of my girls....

 

Considering getting another eglu and just sticking with my 3 girls for a bit...

Then upgrade to the cube and CCTV!!...before getting anymore...

 

Even my little girl (4) sat down tonite and pretended read her Farm stories

book and said "they were looking for the chickens everywhere!"...

 

 

Good night all...Kim.x

[Troy]

Kim! I'm still up! Wish i could help and patrol for you.

 

Had a thought. You say they are in a converted shed. Is there any chance that a couple of half wits were trying to break into your shed as opposed to staling the girls?? Might they then have left and be hiding 'til morning??

 

troy

[kimbo_frog]

Hi Troy!

 

Ive looked absolutely everywhere for the girls...and still no sign...

 

I dont think they would have bothered with the little shed as theres a huge one clearly full of stuff!

 

I would give anything to go into the garden and find the girls waiting for their brekkie!!

 

Miracles do happen....

 

Just off for my next guard duties and then to bed for a bit...

 

Thanx for all the support and thoughts....

 

Kim.xx

[Egluntyne]

It does sound like a theft to me.

 

If it was a fox, he wouldn't be so selective as to just stick to the Ex batts, and there would surely be some evidence about.

[Karen & co.]

How dreadful for you I hope they turn up for you.

 

Karen x

[clootie]

Any sign of them this morning? I hope you're feeling a little better. Thinking of you. x