What predator is this?

[redsoxs]

Hey...I'm sure this has been asked but please help. A neighbor of mine raises chickens...found a dead one near the coop with only head and neck eaten. What critter uses this method? Thanks!

 

[thebanthams]

depending what you have in your area, Dogs, weasles, coyotes?

 

[redsoxs]

I was thinking it was a smaller predator since only the head and neck were gone. I don't think dog as lots of birds were out and about and only one was killed. And I would have to think a coyote would eat more than just the head and neck. I assume we have weasels in Kansas - I've never seen one or talked to anyone who has. Anybody think hawk or owl?

 

[GuineaMama]

Sounds like a coon to me. I had one get one of my chicks thru the fence and the only thing missing was the head, neck and feet.

 

[redsoxs]

I have heard about that happening where a coon will literally eat it through the fence. I'm stumped because this was out in the open in a free range environment - whatever it was had its pick of body parts to eat. Do coons normally start with the head and neck?

 

[Minwife]

Same thing happened to our flock. We thought we had secured the thing like FT Knox, but all of our birds over the course of a week wither were eaten from the head down or had head injuries to the point they had to be put down... Now this morning here I am typing cause I can't sleep... OBVIOUSLY a skunk is out and about by the house... but we are out of birds so I think he was going for something else...

 

[terryg]

Opossums will do that - eat only the head and neck. In my experience of having had a raccoon attack, they make more of a mess (I won't go into the sad details!) But it's because of that, that I always, always, latch my hens in at night. Around here we have fisher cats that can climb and rip netting off of pens, so unless you have a pen perfectly enclosed with chain link fence, a predator can get in. Also, raccoons will reach in and grab what they can. Chickens have terrible night vision and won't see predators coming and can't move out of the way, so if they're roosting outside, next to the fence, they can still be grabbed.

 

[G-Dekeyser]

could be an owl as well, as said before coons and dog will make a big mess, coyotes always carrie thier kill away and eat it, and weasels will usually tear out throat area

 

[Speckled Hen]

Hi! This happened to me! I'm very confident this is an owl.

When my chickens were young they would sleep in a tree instead of their coop. I was a new chicken owner, I couldn't figure out how to get them down from the tree, and didn't see the danger in letting them sleep 15' off the ground in their pen. I woke one night and found a Great Horned Owl had knocked two hens out of the tree and ate the head and neck of one. When I came close to the owl it tried to fly and was caught in the chicken's fencing. I had to run inside, get heavy gloves, and untangle it.

I told this story to our local wild life reserve. They said 1) careful of cats. 2) everything they eat they eat whole and head first. They like the parts that most other predators leave behind. 3) They can't carry a large chicken far, they usually will stash it for later. 4) if they're ever caught don't try freeing it yourself they are really dangerous. In my situation I don't think the owl would have lived until Animal Control had arrived I had no other option 5) They remember areas where there is food and will return. 6) Any large bird of prey that will eat a chicken is most likely a raptor and all raptors are protected in the US, you can not shoot or kill them for eating your chickens.

Since this, I make sure my chickens are away at night. If I'm late (after 6:30) I have to climb up the tree and one by one carry 28 chickens into their coop. They come when called with meal worms or watermellon. I try to get them into their coop before they climb into the tree.

 

[birdherder]

ive heard of racoons and skunks being the predators that just eat heads... my uncle had a scunk eat only the head on one of his birds... hope this helped