Was the killer a racoon?

[PurpleCArTires]

It's been almost 2 months since the attack. I caught a feral cat and my cat in my havaheart trap. So I gave up. I reenforced the coop and added a new automatic door. It's fort Knox at night.

So, I had to move 5 boys over to this pen to stop harassing the ladies. 3 were killed yesterday by a coyote in the middle of the day! I am now thinking that's what killed the first group too. My husband shot at it and thinks he got it's leg. It made it through the fence and ran into my neighbors woods.

I need tips to trap or deter this guy. We have baby goats now and if he will be coming during the day, nothing is safe!

I am also missing a laying hen, but I can't be sure if the coyote was the culprit on that one. That hen is from a totally different part of our homestead, where the baby goats hang. If that coyote is lurking around there too, it could be very bad. Any help/ideas are appreciated!

 

[Krugerrand]

Can you do electric fencing?

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Can you do electric fencing?

Yeah I have lines around every perimeter fence for each pen. They are high tho and I think the coyote goes under the fence

 

[SkyWolf]

Thats what my husband thinks. I wanted to see what you all thought. Last night 9 out of 10 chickens were killed or missing. My coop is an old well house and the chickens sleep on a roost bar over 6 feet high. I found the lone survivor still on the roost bar this morning.
I found 3 bodies on the floor of the coop. And 2 more bodies out in the yard far from the coop. 3 chickens are M.I.A.

It looks like the two in the yard were killed where they lay - so they must have took off into the night running and were hunted down. They were both tore open, heads missing and chest/crop eaten.

The 3 in the coop were untouched besides puncture wounds on their throats and 3 DEEP scratches (like a paw with 3 claws) on their breast tissue.

Would a raccoon kill everything in sight, carry off 3 chickens, and hunt down 2 more in the yard?

PS. I set a trap for tonight using one of the bodies in hopes the killer returns and I can capture it.

Honestly a lot of predators overlap in habits. This really could be a raccoon. It fits what they do and they are common.

I don’t know where you live. But if it’s not a raccoon maybe a skunk or Bobcat. The roost height makes a skunk a bit unlikely, but not impossible.

All three of these animals will massacre a coop and take/eat only a few birds. If they have babies taking chickens makes even more sense. These three will tear open chests and eat heads pretty commonly when they get many birds. They know they won’t eat it all, so they eat their favourite parts, guts and heads.

This is the best I can do. Sorry about losing your birds

 

[Chicken poppy]

Honestly a lot of predators overlap in habits. This really could be a raccoon. It fits what they do and they are common.

I don’t know where you live. But if it’s not a raccoon maybe a skunk or Bobcat. The roost height makes a skunk a bit unlikely, but not impossible.

All three of these animals will massacre a coop and take/eat only a few birds. If they have babies taking chickens makes even more sense. These three will tear open chests and eat heads pretty commonly when they get many birds. They know they won’t eat it all, so they eat their favourite parts, guts and heads.

This is the best I can do. Sorry about losing your birds

Google maps shows they live in Maryland.

 

[SkyWolf]

Google maps shows they live in Maryland.

Oh- sorry. Yeah, no idea what animals are in Maryland. So yeah, maybe this was helpful, maybe not

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Yeah we are in MD. No bobcats here. My husband saw the coyote two days ago attacking the boys. I also have been unable to catch him in my havaheart trap, since it's too big, so it's a fair chance he was the killer in the first round of murders a few months ago. My neighbor also told me he shot one, but there was 3 more with it. I am going to have be more vigilant with my animals and hopefully we can get this guy or my husband scared it enough it won't come back (he thinks he shot it in the leg)

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

set your electric fencing low and higher if you can, so that things can't go under or over? everything in nature needs to eat, so you just need to not supply any easy lunches and they will move on to find mice and other easier game. I'm sorry for your losses.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

set your electric fencing low and higher if you can, so that things can't go under or over? everything in nature needs to eat, so you just need to not supply any easy lunches and they will move on to find mice and other easier game. I'm sorry for your losses.

Yep I am going to have to run another hotline due to the way our fence is set up. I am also blocking any gaps in the fence (it's a very old fence) with sticks and rubbish and so he will have to work harder to get in and out

 

[Geena]

Yeah we are in MD. No bobcats here. My husband saw the coyote two days ago attacking the boys. I also have been unable to catch him in my havaheart trap, since it's too big, so it's a fair chance he was the killer in the first round of murders a few months ago. My neighbor also told me he shot one, but there was 3 more with it. I am going to have be more vigilant with my animals and hopefully we can get this guy or my husband scared it enough it won't come back (he thinks he shot it in the leg)

Ugh, you're not too far from me, I haven't see a coyote here yet and hope I never do!
We DO have bobcats in Maryland.