5 dear chickens heads and necks gone

[MoonWizard]

Residential neighborhood, our yard backs to a field. We have had our chickens 5+ years. They have a secure wood coup with metal auto door that keeps them say at night. The have a large run made by having a second fence with wire off our property fence. I heard them this morning, around 6 or 7. Sounded like egg laying I thought. When we went out around 11 , found all 5 dead. All with head and neck gone. Cleanly pulled right off. One had its wing torn off with exposed flesh under. No blood anywhere. Could not find wing, any heads of necks. No other signs of injury on chickens. All spaced out almost in a line about 6-7 feet apart almost in center of run.

Attaching images. Warning.
Dropbox with pictures

Any insight into what did this? Have read Hawk (two that frequent field, even ketch in trees by chickens. No issues in years past) Horned Owl? I know we have a large barn owl that flies by now and then but only seen at night. Raccoon?

 

[Kiki]

Raccoon or possum.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Trash Panda, agreed.

 

[Kiki]

Poor things.
I don't use the drop box we site thingie but I took screenshots to load here for others who don't use it, so they can see too.

Spoiler: Dead Birds

 

[froggyphore]

I'm so sorry how awful... it sounds like a raccoon to me, i don't believe a raptor would do something like that, or be able to consume a chicken's head.

 

[Kiki]

Residential neighborhood, our yard backs to a field. We have had our chickens 5+ years. They have a secure wood coup with metal auto door that keeps them say at night. The have a large run made by having a second fence with wire off our property fence. I heard them this morning, around 6 or 7. Sounded like egg laying I thought. When we went out around 11 , found all 5 dead. All with head and neck gone. Cleanly pulled right off. One had its wing torn off with exposed flesh under. No blood anywhere. Could not find wing, any heads of necks. No other signs of injury on chickens. All spaced out almost in a line about 6-7 feet apart almost in center of run.

Attaching images. Warning.
Dropbox with pictures

Any insight into what did this? Have read Hawk (two that frequent field, even ketch in trees by chickens. No issues in years past) Horned Owl? I know we have a large barn owl that flies by now and then but only seen at night. Raccoon?

Do you have pictures of your coop that you can share so we can help you figure out where you need to tighten up your security?

 

[MoonWizard]

Poor things.
I don't use the drop box we site thingie but I took screenshots to load here for others who don't use it, so they can see too.

Spoiler: Dead Birds

View attachment 3108105View attachment 3108106View attachment 3108108View attachment 3108110

Thank you for setting the images. I wasn’t sure how to do it best.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you for setting the images. I wasn’t sure how to do it best.

It totally sucks when something like this happens.
At the end of the day it doesn't really matter what came and killed them. What matters is it will come back so you have to prevent future chances of this happening.

 

[Alagirl]

something in the weasel family?

 

[MoonWizard]

Do you have pictures of your coop that you can share so we can help you figure out where you need to tighten up your security?

I’ll take one. We are all kind of devastated. Had the 5 from chicks. My two daughters practically grew up with them. They could hold them and pet them and they would just sit with the girls outside. Never really thought too worry about them during the day or early morning.

We do have Possum, I’ve seen them before, but again only at night. We could have Raccoons but have not seen them.

Certainly could have come over fence but not run and if sun was up, Chickens would have been out in the run.