What killed this hen

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

Hi so this morning i walked out to my coop and saw feathers everywhere outside the coop, the chickens where locked in for the night. So i opened up the door and found this...

But it was inside the coop.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thank you.

 

[0wen]

I'd wager possum - possibly a raccoon.

They'll likely be back so I'd get a trap set....

 

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

That's what I was thinking but how did it get in to my coop i don't have a run they free range during the day.

 

[soup and stew]

i can tell you what did not kill your hen it was not anything in the weasel family and was not a hawk or owl
most likely was not but could have been skunk,possum or cat
it was most likely a fox or coyote but could have been a domestic dog or puma

 

[carolinasculpture]

Looks like raccoon to me. Can you post a pic of your coop? They can reach in and grab through surprisingly small spaces!

 

[0wen]

Photo of the coop would be helpful, but they can fit into tiny spots, work latches, etc. Not likely to have locked everything back in place when he left though, so there's likely an access point somewhere. I disagree with it being a dog/fox/coyote/puma - likely everything you owned would have been killed - also not likely to have gotten into an enclosed coop without you noticing...

A betting person would go with a possum or raccoon. Other possibilities of course, but I'd start with those 2.

Also rare, but small chance a possum was inside waiting for your chickens to come in. Summer has late nights and it's not uncommon to find them out in daylight, later in the day, especially when still caring for their season's young. Someone was telling me recently actually that they went out and opened their coop and went face-to-face with a young possum that took a minute before it knew to run.

Local animal control can sometimes loan you a trap - maybe someone at TSC or such will also. You can grab one new for around $40, or try craigslist or such. Dig a small hole in the ground, lay an open can of tuna or sardines in the hole then set the trap down on top of the hole - they'll go inside looking for the fish (and can't get to it so no bait stealing) and trigger the trap. Once they're at that stage, dispatching them is quick and easy...

 

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

This is a picture of the outside of the coop where i found the dead chicken.

 

[0wen]

I'd say she ventured close to that gap and got pulled through it by a raccoon. If they can get their hands on a bird through even a small space, they'll yank them out. Piece by piece if they have to...

 

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

So I have figured out that raccoons have been killing my chickens because I have seen them climb on top of my coop.
So now everytime I go to my coop I carry a shotgun.