What predator just eats the head and a little more?

[MissChick@dee]

That's for sure, I KNOW a hawk did it recently here,(at 8:40 AM) I caught it "red-handed" dropping an EE pullet & leaving behind a Dominique headless/neckless had began on the breast area. Checked camera and yep that hawk was certainly the one who got 'em both. Lesson learned because "such & such" - "always" does this, well not always the camera doesn't lie .

Within a few more days we had as many as 40+ at one time checking out the chickens, often a dozen or more for several days. Had we not taken care of things (more covered area, always watching and other measures) I'd venture we'd not have our 50+ chickens today. I've never seen (nor heard of ) so many hawks at one time in one place (yes I'm aware they migrate ) but wow..!!!!!!!

Now that’s a truly scary story on Halloween!!!
What a nightmare!

 

[Life is Good!]

So sorry for your losses.
We too are being hit hard this season with predators. Have had chickens now for 10yrs on the same property, in the same coops (ok, we added another coop - chicken math!)...so it's not like this is a new scenario. We're in N. IL about 2 blocks from a river, in a semi-suburban to heavy suburban area - so our street lots are 3-5 acres; next street east, has townhomes, next street west has 1/3-1/4 acre lots...so it's really, really mixed. Streetlights, lots of traffic until about 9:30pm and starting again at about 5am.

In this season, with the light changing is when I find a lot of attacks on my flock. Predators can be out earlier at night/stay out later in the morning - so I need to be vigilant about watching over the doors and what the hens are doing.

In our experience, we've had the following predators that sound like your attack - and what they do/when they do it.

Owl attacks always happen early evening (just past deep dark) - and they typically take as much as they can gulp down quickly prior to being caught in the act. Leaving a lot of the carcass, but not so much with the looser bits (head, neck, breast). Will fly off with carcass if it can lift it - so 'vanishing chicken' syndrome potential - not even leaving much in terms of loose feathers or anything. Here, typically in the late spring - May/June time frame. Especially if there are not a lot of mice/voles around.

Racoon attacks are year round. Estimates for our area are over 100 coons/square mile. Coons typically travel in family groups or are lone hunters if no young present. Coons hit just before dusk to midnight mostly here. They will leave a carcass if threatened, or take it with them if it's a young chicken (usually up a tree). Lots of feather debris and 'fight' evidence.

Weasels or minks - are brand new to me - just hit last week. Actually caught him with a possum friend in tow. So weasel killed it, ate the head; possum was working the other parts of the chicken. Ewww......weasels are too smart for their own good. Box traps don't work, as weasels are 1 - too smart and 2 - too light to trip the trap. Still working on how to resolve this one. Weasel took out 6 chickens, and son's pet rabbit who was outside enjoying the really nice fall day inside a LOCKED rabbitry hutch (still trying to figure out how it got in). Weasels, like mice, don't need a large gap to get through - their bodies are malleable...nasty things. We ordered trip traps from Amazon and have them out...thus far no luck. But the bait isn't being taken either. So perhaps the weasel has moved on as it knows it cannot get any more?

Possums - are stupid as all get out. Can be trapped in a box trap. Meaner than mean when they are caught. Will eat head/neck and leave the remainder. Hit anytime after dusk.

Hawks/Kestrels - daytime aerial predators. Hawks will not fly into an enclosure that they cannot fly out of - they need some lift space. So a smaller run is better in this instance, or one where there's lots of 'furniture' in the way. So our large run has a 4' wide x 8 long x 6' tall' PVC tractor in the center of the run - both as a place for hens to hide in; and also to make the space less inviting to a hawk. Kestrels don't have this space restriction - but the kestrel has only taken 2mo chicks or younger at this point. Still trying to figure out how to keep these guys away. Have taken up residence in our neighborhood - since last March. Thus far a poorly-aimed BB gun shot in the general direction (pump action, so bb typically doesn't fly far with just one pump of the cylinder) has deterred him from hanging around our property...I see them more down the street hunting squirrels (which is what they ought to be doing anyways!).

Dogs - ugh - don't get me started. Great fencing makes for good neighbors. Dogs will typically kill for fun, but leave the entire carcass. I don't think you're dealing with a dog.

Best of luck figuring this out. Game cams help, sometimes. So do electric fences. That's what's on my Christmas list this year!