What predator just eats the head and a little more?

[TelfTheElf]

Sounds horrid! Sorry for your loss
Thankfully I don't have to worry about raccoons or possums...but i do have to worry about foxes. Especially in winter. i live in a village a chicken farms so if you kill a fox nobody will complain. Last winter in scared a fox off by throwing grain at it. I don't think it ever came back. Unorthodox but it worked!!!

 

[Howard E]

A person could guess "coon" and be right 25% of the time, since coons alone account for about that many losses....at least according to the BYC worst predator survey. But then add the lost head and breast meat, and coon goes to the top of the list. The odd thing is the time of day.......it must have happened during daylight hours. Rare for them to be out and about that time of day, but it happens. And while coons often do kill a whole bunch of birds at one time, that is often in the Spring when ma and pa coon are teaching the little varmints how to hunt. This time of year, a coon killing a single bird is easily possible.

Other options are an owl go for the head and crop.....but not much else, and during daylight hours, not likely.

One other candidate is a bobcat. They would eat the head and some meat and might very well be out and about during the day.

Now that you have had a loss, it might be a good time to put up a game camera. You might be shocked to discover all the things that go "bump in the night" that can be found hanging around after dark. Shocked. A game camera is the best way to know who is hanging around. Kinda comforting to know, actually, as then you know how to go about stopping it.

 

[dmanhefner]

If what you described happened during the day that sounds a lot like a hawk or owl. Owls feed until about the time the sun gets under the horizon to right before it comes over. Hawks feed when the owls dont. I have lost a number of birds to owls the tell tale signs are head and neck eaten and dragged against shelter.

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

'coon.

 

[centrarchid]

OP, it is always fun to post pictures of carcass showing what predator did to it. I have lots of pictures showing what a known predator does to a carcass. Knowing provides insight into how to deal with predator.

 

[20736]

I agree with RACCOONS. I have a devil of a time with them. I have covered chain link runs but they grab the chicken and pull the head thru.
Hate 'em.

 

[roosterhavoc]

A person could guess "coon" and be right 25% of the time, since coons alone account for about that many losses....at least according to the BYC worst predator survey. But then add the lost head and breast meat, and coon goes to the top of the list. The odd thing is the time of day.......it must have happened during daylight hours. Rare for them to be out and about that time of day, but it happens. And while coons often do kill a whole bunch of birds at one time, that is often in the Spring when ma and pa coon are teaching the little varmints how to hunt. This time of year, a coon killing a single bird is easily possible.

Other options are an owl go for the head and crop.....but not much else, and during daylight hours, not likely.

One other candidate is a bobcat. They would eat the head and some meat and might very well be out and about during the day.

Now that you have had a loss, it might be a good time to put up a game camera. You might be shocked to discover all the things that go "bump in the night" that can be found hanging around after dark. Shocked. A game camera is the best way to know who is hanging around. Kinda comforting to know, actually, as then you know how to go about stopping it.

You sound like you have a lot of trapping experience. Maybe a few tips on how to catch each potential predator would be helpful.

 

[Alexandra33]

Certainly sounds like a raccoon's your culprit to me, too. I've had two adolescents taken by masked predators myself. Both times, head was removed, as well as the breast region devoured. A little trapping did wonders.

SO very sorry for your loss.

~Alex

 

[chickengeorgeto]

There is at least one weasel species in all of the United States.

That said how old was the cadaver?

 

[Howard E]

You sound like you have a lot of trapping experience. Maybe a few tips on how to catch each potential predator would be helpful.

Still trolling?

You are the one who claims to be the xpert trapper. You have said so many times. Rather than taking shots at everyone else, perhaps you should be the one to step forward to offer advice on how to trap not only coons, but foxes, coyotes and all other threats?