A neighbor saw something like a ferret

[Vocjuved]

I’ve lost 3 girls in 3 days, 7 chicks yesterday! No luck with a trap.
what do you think the predator is? No visible head of the hen. The hens body picked down to the bone. One attack was full daylight, 10 am?
a neighbor saw something like a ferret recently. Please help! The whole flock is getting decimated.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Where are you located? It sounds like a mink, possibly a weasel.
They will kill your entire flock if you don't kill it first.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Mink:

Weasel:

 

[hayley3]

I’ve lost 3 girls in 3 days, 7 chicks yesterday! No luck with a trap.
what do you think the predator is? No visible head of the hen. The hens body picked down to the bone. One attack was full daylight, 10 am?
a neighbor saw something like a ferret recently. Please help! The whole flock is getting decimated.

Were the chicks also left headless or were they just gone?
A weasel is not gonna pick the bird to the bone. That sounds like a hawk who normally hunt in the mornings. They could also pick up chicks and take off with them.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry!
have your survivors locked in a safe coop, or somewhere safe, until this is resolved. Are they dying in the coop? When free ranging? In the run? Keep them safe while you reinforce your run, or coop, and no free ranging at least for a few weeks.
If you can set up a game camera or two, you can see who's visiting!
Hawks tend to visit and kill one, then return a couple or three days later, and get another. Having the flock on lockdown for two or three weeks can have that particular bird move elsewhere. You are having multiple deaths, so if there is a hawk, you have other critters visiting too.
Only trap if you will shoot the fox, raccoon, or weasel that you manage to get.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Here north of you we have two or three weasel types, and mink, and I'd bet an occasional released domestic ferret. They all like chicken, but mostly eat mice and rats, a good thing. It is essential that they are kept out of the coop!
In an emergency situation, which you are in, keeping survivors safe is #1, while you fix the coop and run as necessary, and maybe get lucky and catch the right critter in a trap.
Mary

 

[ameliathedominant]

i dosent sound like a hawk they would eat the poor things with theire headds still on. it sounds more like a raccoon

Were the chicks also left headless or were they just gone?
A weasel is not gonna pick the bird to the bone. That sounds like a hawk who normally hunt in the mornings. They could also pick up chicks and take off with them.

 

[Howard E]

To the OP, you have described what could the attacks from several predators. The hen you described, 90% chance it was a coon.....except coons are not normally out during the day.

What birds were attacked at 10AM and did you find them? The dead chicks......condition of those? How were they killed? Found where?

To ID potential predators, it helps to be very specific with information......who, what, when, where and how. For each bird lost........

What type of trap?

 

[hayley3]

i dosent sound like a hawk they would eat the poor things with theire headds still on. it sounds more like a raccoon

But a raccoon is not going to pick a bird to the bone either. Ditto what @Howard E said.

 

[Vocjuved]

Where are you located? It sounds like a mink, possibly a weasel.
They will kill your entire flock if you don't kill it first.

I'm in north Idaho.