4 of 6 killed

[jethroish]

Woke up this morning to 4 dead birds. They were laying in the back yard with no heads. Possum? Raccoon?
Yard is completely fenced. No evidence of dog or coyote. They have free ranged the yard for the past 6 months. Honestly, I am surprised I had not lost any sooner, but 4 my 6 in one night.

 

[tomcatvmp]

fox's take heads and just kill as much as they can dunno if you have them in US though.
sorry for your loss

 

[jethroish]

One of the girls regularly laid Jumbo double yolk eggs. Yes we have fox in the US and in my area, but I have never seen any.

 

[Godzillamax]

I lost four of my eight in an hour one afternoon to a fox raid in broad daylight not twenty feet off my back porch and a good 30-40 yards from the tree line. I found two with their heads missing, and never found the bodies of the other two. We knew we had a fox with her 2-3 cubs in the vicinity so we were only free-ranging when we were outside with the chickens. This happened when I went inside to make my kids lunch. We no longer free range our birds and keep them in the coop and enclosed run (which is quite large fortunately).

 

[jethroish]

I did not mind leaving them to free range. They went in the coop at night, but during the day spent most of their time in the barn with the horses. Each day is an Easter egg hunt because they lay in the hay.
Our back yard is 1/2 acre fenced with woven wire. No where for anything bigger than a fox to get in.

 

[attimus]

I just lost my 1st hen to a coyote the other day. Getting up before its light out now to see if it comes back so I can shoot it.

 

[Free Feather]

I did not mind leaving them to free range. They went in the coop at night, but during the day spent most of their time in the barn with the horses. Each day is an Easter egg hunt because they lay in the hay.
Our back yard is 1/2 acre fenced with woven wire. No where for anything bigger than a fox to get in.

They climb.

 

[dogwalkin]

I have seen fox climb a fence like it was nothing. They are slick.

 

[attimus]

Be diligent it will come back

 

[rainbowrooster]

Sure it will comb back. It was too easy not to. Its been our experience that fox & coyotes will carry away the dead because they are big enough to do so. Coons usually tear it apart and eat it on site. I would Imagine possums would be the same. An old timer told me that owls will take the head off.