Took off her head !!

[rthepunk]

To answer some questions.

Howard, No, the run isn't covered. We have walked the fence several times looking for holes - nothing. So I guess it could be an owl and but would an owl fly into the coop and just take off the head, neck, guts and leave the rest?

Kessel. So sorry about your chicken. We both lost our favorites. Igor was just funny. She was deformed, didn't lay, but was top hen in the hen house. She had a good life

Needless to say, I've had chickens in the coup every night since. And, I have had a trap out (cooked hot dog bait) with no success.

 

[Kessel23]

Raccoons can climb over a run if it is not covered. Owls do sometimes kill chickens and leave them in the run. Owls love to take the heads off of their prey first, they do it to my rabbits all the time. Owls will leave their kills if they can not lift them, they will return night after night to feed on the kill until it is gone or stolen by a predator (They mainly do this in the winter because the cold keeps the meat fresh) I like to bait my traps with the dead bird so that when the predator returns to feed he will have to get through my traps if he wants his kill back.

 

[Howard E]

So I guess it could be an owl and but would an owl fly into the coop and just take off the head, neck, guts and leave the rest?

That is highly typical of what an owl might do.

 

[Howard E]

Or, since the run is not covered, any climbing predator, like a coon, can go up and over vs. through.

So solutions to start thinking of beyond night time lockup in a safe coop, is to first provide a hard cover over the run area. It would have to be built in such a way to keep coons out.

Another option for climbing predators is to run a hot wire around the top.

Option for owls (aside from safe lockup) to place a netting over the top they can't fly past.

Easiest solution of all is the safe place night time lockup. That solves almost all predator problems......if they will use it.

 

[rthepunk]

Thank you everyone. I've ensure ALL the girls get into the coop at night... no stragglers perching outside. The traps have yielded nothing so far. Seems weird that an owl would follow a chicken into the coop through that little door and go to the end of the coop to get her.. Anyway, cannot net the run since it is huge .. about 50' x 50'. Hopefully there will be no more reruns.

 

[centrarchid]

You can distinguish between owl and raccoon / opossum kills even when same parts consumed. Owl kill will leave feathers around eating site relatively dry. The mammals will wet feathers and raccoon will often roll carcass around wetting things away from area consumed.

 

[Angeline1978]

If body is left, it's a mink or weasel. I lost 56 quail one summer. Heads gone. Set up trail cam, saw mink, poisoned immediately. I lost a lot of my flock. Didn't care how they died, had to save the rest.

 

[lalalindsay]

We had an opossum go on a killing spree a few months back when we got home super late and the coop door had been open... it was still in there, but had basically just beheaded both of my ducks, 3 hens, and a rooster. It was only actually eating the rooster. Needless to say, it got killed very quickly.

 

[rthepunk]

Wow. didn't realize how many predators there are. Maybe it was an owl ?? The head, neck, inards were gone. The the rest of the chicken was left intact, breast and everything. Very little blood left, just some underneath were Igor was sitting. Feathers about 1/2 dozen or a few more laying directly beside the body. We have gotten nothing from the traps. We're thinking an owl.. ?? BUT.. Would an owl fly into the small coop door and make its way to the nesting box where Igor was killed at the opposite site of the coop ?? I may need to invest in a trail cam. (Thank you everyone for continuing to teach me.)

 

[MINDANAO DAVE]

It's a coon got mine before same thing.