Maybe if the bear shows up again, call the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and they will most likely come and trap the bear and relocate to a more rural area.
Bears are normally pretty lazy, and they are mainly scavengers. Probably what happened is he was walking through and seen/heard your chickens and sadly decided to make a meal out of them. :(
Bears don't randomly break into sheds for no reason. They don't like putting a lot of effort into their...
The bear has a stance and body figure that looks like a boar - male bear. Likely he was hungray and just passing through. Is there a way to lock your chickens inside the coop instead of that closed in run? Leaving them out like that just seems troublesome to me.
You're welcome.
Could you post a picture? A bear of that size, from what you are describing, is likely a boar - male bear.
It's a possibility of both - the bear getting in again or not. I had bears less than 10 feet from myself and chicken coop and have never had a bear take any of my chickens...
For this, we have to keep in mind that: Bear wants in, bear gets in. Sorry for your losses.
But hot wire is very useful keeping bears away. You have bought the right thing, and done most of what can, but I have more. Have you seen the bear? How big? Approximate age? Any other details?
Bear...