Advice please, something got my hen today (((GRAPHIC PIC!!!)))

[piper2009]

Well, this morning I went out to the coop to check on the girls and I found one of my hens dead outside the run door. I had 7 full sized hens in the coop and one bantam, but my light Brahma was the only one killed or even hurt. When I checked her out I found she had a bite mark on the back of her head, her side had been ripped open, her esophogus was ripped out, and her chest bone was broken. Does anyone have any ideas as to what this might be? We are thinking opossum.

Here is what she looked like when I found her.

Close up of where she was ripped open(see the broken bones).

Close up of the bit marks on the back of her head.

~Alex

 

[12304]

I am so sorry fo your loss i love brahmas. perhaps its a stray cat i know we have those they can be pretty sneaky and murderous


did you hear any thing that night?

 

[MamiPollo]

I don't know, but I am sorry about your chicken. That is a very sad thing to find in the morning.

 

[Lollipop]

Hmmm, weird. I don`t think a possum would leave without eating. They usually eat a chicken from the vent and eat the insides. You may have scared off whatever it was. Did it look like she had been dead for a while? Those slash marks are not familiar to me.......Pop

 

[fishnet1971]

dog

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
I thought dog, too, but looking close I think I see three gashes across and one below. Doesn`t look like a dog bite and dogs usually kill everything and have a great time doing it. Stll stumped.........Pop

 

[bryan99705]

I'm a little confused. Do you have a coop outside the run or are you calling the entire coop & run unit a coop? Can you post a pic of your set up so we can see how the bird got outside the run?

Meanwhile I would suggest locking up the birds at night and laying a piece of plywood down that is sprinkled with flour and attach the carcass in the middle so you can maybe get a footprint of your visitor when they investigate tonight.

 

[looptloop]

Aww, poor girl. I'm sorry or your loss. Hope you can figure out what got her.

 

[speckledhen]

I added the graphic pic warning to your title--in the future, best to always do that when posting a picture of this sort.

 

[mtngrl812]

looks a lot like a bird of prey attack. Started plucking but didn't finish.