I lost my flock today. What kind of predator?

[BirdGirl2004]

OH MAN! I am SO sorry! That must be devastating!! I always hate when chickens die! There is a guy named Justin Rhodes who is very knowledgeable about these things... I put a video on here of him explaining and showing the different predators, and what it looks like when they attack. Hope this is useful!!

 

[Misty’s Felicity]

the one I couldn't find the body of was a HUGE Lavender Americana rooster that probably 10-15 lbs and really protective. how he got killed is way past my expertise
I know it was a raccon because there were little raccoon hand prints next to the trail of his feathers raccoons are very strong and smart they have almost human hands. mine free range so idk how it caught 5 especially my big roo

 

[Crow-ded house]

how can a raccoon do that kind of damage?? These were mostly very big hens too, 6lb buff orps, brahmas, wyandottes. Not little bantams.

I have close-ish neighbors on either side and forest in the back. I will set up a camera I think. We do have some dogs that get loose in town and run through that forest. The neighbors’ dogs are tiny, & old & slow. I can’t see them doing this kind of damage.

A full grown adult racoon can tear the hell out of a good size hunting dog.

 

[Misty’s Felicity]

I have close-ish neighbors on either side and forest in the back. I will set up a camera I think. We do have some dogs that get loose in town and run through that forest. The neighbors’ dogs are tiny, & old & slow. I can’t see them doing this kind of damage.[/QUOTE]
I can understand how a coon could have gotten yours because they wer cooped up for the night right? but I don't get haw it could have gotten mine in an acer sized pen at noon WHILE I WAS OUTSIDE I heard nothing no alerts and I have well over 20 boys in the same pen
I was thinking it could have been a human to get your cause you said there was no holes or points of entry or wounds a coon might open a door but not close it behind its self unless raccoons are polite now

 

[mcclucker]

Mine were outside in the yard, in broad daylight. Surrounded by fence.

I’m sorry for your loss. He was a beautiful boy.

 

[Feathyr]

EDIT: Evidently I missed the bit about the gnaw marks. How big were they?

^ Just re-posting this in case it got lost in my previous post.

 

[karnie123]

Sorry for your loss too. I have to agree with the other posts. Sounds like dogs. My Mallinois can climb ladders and fences.

 

[Misty’s Felicity]

well it sounds like racoons are becoming more ballsey because my grandparents have never heard of a racoon attacking in the day and y neighbor saw one about 5 miles from me in brod daylight too

maybe the racoons know the end of the world is coming so they are trying to warn us XDXDXD

 

[mcclucker]

The gnaw marks were pretty big but not deep. Like one bird had all the feathers stripped off a chunk of breast. Like they had been pulled out. My tough hen had some bleeding around her neck but most of them didn’t. I admit I didn’t look very closely on all of them. It was pouring rain and they were all soaking wet too.

 

[Misty’s Felicity]

I have been having problems with predators a week before the massacre my hen that I got with my LA roo was attacked by a hawk but she somehow lived even tho she had a huge deep 3 inch gash on her back hip and tons of deep 1 and 2 inch gashes on her back and puncture marks on her ears and face she is still up and kicking but I feel bad because she and R8 have been together their entire lives