1 Hen per night found decapitated in coop with no signs of predator...

[Bear Foot Farm]

Are you allowed to shoot them?

NO

All predatory birds are protected by Federal law​

 

[whisperingsage]

For coyotes, look up some electric netting, Premier One has some good options. Hmm, if you could set up some overhead electric netting, one good jolt may be all the owl needs to stay away. Or perhaps set up just a roost baited with a live wire, enough to give him that painful jolt. it shouldn't kill him, but I know the badgers only took one lesson as did my own dogs when I had an electric line around the rabbit pen.

 

[alpinefarm]

You didn't say whether your chainlink run has a top on it? That is a "must have"...otherwise, many types of animals and birds can get for an easy meal.

I would think you have an ermine/weasel. They often only kill one chicken at a time and sometimes they decapitate, but often you will only find fang marks on the neck, as they first like to drink the blood. A weasel can, indeed, can get thru a hole the size of a quarter (I've seen one do it), so you will need to patch any little openings whatsoever in your coop and also put up 1/2" hardware cloth in your run if you want to let your chickens have access to the run at night.

Free-ranging, for me, has not been a problem as far as weasels go...as they *generally* like to strike at night and our dogs do help keep them away to some extent. A good barn cat will hunt them, as well.

Another thing I've found is that chicken breeds that are quite agile and wily (such as Norwegian Jaerhons and Ameraucanas or EEs) seem to do a lot better at evading weasels.

Good luck. Weasels can be difficult to trap but I would try a "Hav-A-Hart" trap (ACE hardware carries them) with fresh meat as bait. When you catch the little bugger, take it several miles away to a wilderness area to release.

But don't wait to fortify your coop and run.

 

[elizabethbinary]

....so I'm the only one who thought the culprit was the mafioso? Good to know.

I didn't know weasels drank blood! Cool. Glad we don't have weasels....


...I'm not helpful.

 

[The Lisser]

Quote:
As for the guard llama - there is an organization in your neck of the woods called Southwest Llama Rescue. The adoption coordinator for Colorado could help you with information about guard llamas. Keep in mind a single llama cannot fight off a pack of dogs or coyotes, but they are a good deterrent for single coyotes or smaller predators.

http://www.southwestllamarescue.org/coordinators.html

 

[Talihofarms]

Birds of prey are the hardest to deter. As far as an Owl goes you must have good poultry netting on the top of your run. We free range all types of poultry. But we always make shure the birds are secured at night. I cought a great Horned Owl in a live trap. It took out a couple of my cornish X that didn't get in at night. They like to eat the heads first, then will come back for fresh heads every night. As long as there is something to eat they will come back. Winter is when they are the biggest problem. Food is harder to come by. Coons like the head and prefer the crop. But are only a problem in Winter when it warms up and they come out from their slumber. Owls are only a threat at night. The crows will torment them during the day. On the otherhand, the day belongs to the Hawks. As much as a problem the Hawks and Owls are you can't shoot them. We like to practice sporting clays when the Hawks come around. They hate the blast of a shotgun. Some practice SSS.





just my .02

Good Luck

 

[magoochie]

I do know that skunks can decapitate and drink the blood. Some eat entrails etc.

Maybe set a trail camera on your coop? See if you can get a picture of what is coming in?

I had 2 ducks that this happened to. first duck lost its head and parts of the breast was eaten. the second night, the other duck got eaten, and all that was left was the wings.
There was also 15 chickens in with them though, but none of the chickens were killed or hurt.

This has been a couple months ago now, and i have not had a problem since.

 

[Carols Clucks]

A long time ago, I chicken sat while my parents were in Hawaii. EVERY night a raccoon would come and find a new way in the run, it would kill one hen take a bite or two and leave.

I tried all the traps, wired up every crack I could find and every night it found a new way in and killed one more chicken.

After it had killed the last chicken, I finally saw the thing, it was the biggest fattest raccoon you can imagine (I almost put my car in to a wall trying to run it down) I will never know how it could find and fit in such tiny rips in the coop, but it sure could. And it never looked at any of the fine raccoon dining adventures I had left it.

If all you have is chainlink, you should line it with something smaller and make sure you have tested every inch for access points. If have any thing leaning on the coop, make sure you move it away and check for hidden access points

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
Never heard of a mafioso...

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
If a roosting chicken is w/i reach, a raccoon can pull it over and eat it thru a chain link fence.