Help identifying a predator

We have some 4 week old Cornish Cross chickens in a tractor about 200 yards from the house. This morning, when we went out to feed, water, and move them, we saw 3 birds decapitated, with their heads completely ripped off--but not eaten, and claw/teeth marks on their backs. There wasn't a lot of blood around, if any. Almost looked like the predator had sucked the blood out. No parts of the chickens were eaten. No other birds were touched. Someone had left the door on the top of the tractor open by accident the night before--the predator did not dig under the tractor, it climbed in. Can anyone help identify this predator? We think it's a possum. Any ideas?

possum

Could be a coon too....or an owl...or......
Strange tho that it didn't eat more of the bird....so maybe mink, weasel.

Since notice was taken that it climbed in... How tough would it gave had to have been to rip a hole and climb in?.... Or is it a little hole climbed in/squeezed through?

I would go with coon. Possum are pretty slow to figure out how to rip stuff open without digging, but a coon will climb in top and just smash stuff to get in... Or work on a weak spot until it gives; coons are inquisically smart, possums, not so much


Weasel or Mink, Martin.... Small enough to squeeze in, and would probably just kill them for fun, and eat the heads.

Edit* autocorrect

beetandsteet said:

We have some 4 week old Cornish Cross chickens in a tractor about 200 yards from the house. This morning, when we went out to feed, water, and move them, we saw 3 birds decapitated, with their heads completely ripped off--but not eaten, and claw/teeth marks on their backs. There wasn't a lot of blood around, if any. Almost looked like the predator had sucked the blood out. No parts of the chickens were eaten. No other birds were touched. Someone had left the door on the top of the tractor open by accident the night before--the predator did not dig under the tractor, it climbed in. Can anyone help identify this predator? We think it's a possum. Any ideas?

Click to expand...

shortgrass said:

Since notice was taken that it climbed in... How tough would it gave had to have been to rip a hole and climb in?.... Or is it a little hole climbed in/squeezed through?

I would go with coon. Possum are pretty slow to figure out how to rip stuff open without digging, but a coon will climb in top and just smash stuff to get in... Or work on a weak spot until it gives; coons are inquisically smart, possums, not so much

Weasel or Mink, Martin.... Small enough to squeeze in, and would probably just kill them for fun, and eat the heads.

Edit* autocorrect

Click to expand...

Door was left open.

Latching the door is an easy fix, if it keeps happening with the door closed then predator identification becomes more important.

aart said:

Door was left open.

Click to expand...

Ha!

I should be glad my life doesn't depend on READING a post thoroughly lol

Thanks aart,...

Guess that leaves just about anything huh?

The fact that the door was open, but the bodies left behind leads me to think the predator was too small to carry it away... Mink, weasel, possum. Not a coon

Thanks guys for all your ideas! We are very sure now that it is a possum. We are literally overrun with them at our property, and we have heard that they like to kill chickens just for the fun of it. The only thing that had us stumped is why did it not eat more birds? Well, we're sure glad it didn't We have secured the tractor and have had no more kills.

beetandsteet said:

Thanks guys for all your ideas! We are very sure now that it is a possum. We are literally overrun with them at our property, and we have heard that they like to kill chickens just for the fun of it. The only thing that had us stumped is why did it not eat more birds? Well, we're sure glad it didn't We have secured the tractor and have had no more kills.

Click to expand...

No animal kills for 'fun'...they kill when they are hungry and they may kill more than they can eat at one time and cache them for later.

aart said:

No animal kills for 'fun'...they kill when they are hungry and they may kill more than they can eat at one time and cache them for later.

Click to expand...

Dogs, cats, humans...all animals and all kill for fun. I have lost 4 chickens to my neighbor's fat old lab that chewed through a layer of hardware cloth and chain link fence to get to them. He looked like he was having a great time.