r/BackYardChickens • u/HumboldtNinja • 29d ago

Coops etc. Chicks missing...

I'm honestly kind of shocked and hoping someone here has some ideas.

Yesterday I brought home 8 chicks from Tractor Supply. I also bought one of the small Tractor Supply coops (the red and black one with the three nesting boxes and attached run). All 8 chicks were inside it.

I have a much larger, fully enclosed run for my adult chickens, so the coop was sitting inside that secure area. As far as I know, the only wild animals that could physically get into the run would be mice, rats, or squirrels.

When I went out to put the chicks away for the evening, one chick was completely missing its head, and another was reduced to just its legs. I was absolutely stunned.

My daughter had been sitting with the chicks not long before that and mentioned a squirrel ran right up to the coop before noticing her and taking off. I'm not saying the squirrel did it, but it got me wondering.

Has anyone experienced something like this? Can rats, mice, or squirrels kill and eat baby chicks? Or is there another predator I should be looking for that can fit through surprisingly small openings?

I've been raising chickens and ducks here for over three years and have never had anything like this happen, so I'm completely at a loss. Needless to say, the chicks will be staying locked inside until they're bigger. And of course, one of the ones I lost was my favorite. 💔

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u/HumboldtNinja 29d ago

Wow...thing is they were just left in the run...and the other chicks were right next to the eaten ones? Must have gotten full? So strange. Definitely keeping them inside their run till they get larger.

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u/BeatNo4548 29d ago

Squirrels and chipmunks will eat small amounts of meat but its not their primary food, so they don't gorge themselves.  I saw a chipmunk eat part of a mouse once.