All Six Hens Are Gone. What Killed Them?

[sapphireriver]

Anyone want to help me figure out what killed all my chickens? I had six full grown hens that free ranged in the two acre, fenced in field in front of my house in upstate South Carolina. Two of them were found dead without their heads. All that we found of the others was either feathers scattered in the field or nothing at all. A decent size freshly dug hole was found under the fence near a large pile of white feathers. The white hen's body was found a good distance from most of her feathers. The other dead hen was a good ways away from both the other dead hen and the hole under the fence. One hen may have been in the coop from the feathers left in it, but all the other scattered feathers and the two bodies were in the field. I saw all the chickens alive and healthy around 2pm on Monday and believe the killings took place later that afternoon. My kids noticed the pile of white feathers that afternoon but couldn't tell what it was. We didn't find out about the attack until the next day. Thoughts on what the predator(s) might have been?

We had chickens for two and a half years and have had one picked off here and there, but never had all of them killed. We have red shouldered hawks around, but the crows mostly keep them in check. Lots of people around us have dogs, but I've only seen random dogs come into our field once in the five years we've lived here. I can occasionally hear coyotes in the distance. I've never seen a raccoon around my house, though they are occasionally in our area they are not a common problem. There are lots of trees around the edges of the field.

 

[CloneFly]

Possibility of foxes? So sorry to hear about your chickens

 

[theoldchick]

I would suspect racoons though a game camera will help identify what is visiting. I live in upstate SC, too, and have skunks, foxes, raccoon, feral cats and opossums visit my coops. Electric wire keeps my chickens safe at night. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Isadora]

Missing heads is classic racoon kill, but digging under the fence sounds more like a dog, coyote, or fox
I'm sorry for your losses.

 

[TOR]

I have to agree with Isadora, both raccoon and fox will eat a whole bird, Fox dig, but from my experience a raccoon will dig also. Missing head is a raccoon trait. Both will kill more than they can eat. Raccoon will hunt in the day if hungry enough. I have seen them late afternoon on the move.
Raccoon will hunt in family packs and solo.
Opossum are opportunity hunters.
What ever it is will come back. Game camera.
Since it is a fenced area guessing somewhat rural? electric fence would keep the varmints out.

 

[sapphireriver]

I got a game camera this afternoon and set it up facing the now empty coop. I guess I'd call where I live suburban edge. There's actually a neighborhood just on the other side of my long driveway that goes alongside the field the chickens lived in. Their backyards back up to my long driveway.

 

[McChooky]

Foxes or coyotes would have jumped the fence and not dug under it. Raccoons will grab a chicken thru the fence then dig a hole inside to eat it. They don't cache food like a fox or coyote.

 

[TOR]

You could always check your local ordinance. Depending on how your fence is, t post or how ever constructed you could run a 1 wire electric fence as long as you can run insulators. Can always hang a sign on fence for warning.

Low profile electric fence keep the diggers and climbers at bay, but not the jumpers.

I grow sweet corn and sell it. I run poly tape single strand 4 to 6 inches off ground to keep raccoon at bay.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[McChooky]

I got a game camera this afternoon and set it up facing the now empty coop. I guess I'd call where I live suburban edge. There's actually a neighborhood just on the other side of my long driveway that goes alongside the field the chickens lived in. Their backyards back up to my long driveway.

Once a predators had a free meal it will always hunt your chickens. They also teach their young to kill them too. You don't have one you have a family.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had a skunk dig under a fence and kill 2 chickens. It was a skunk because of the smell and we caught it in a trap. Raccoons like to have running water near by. We only have a pond and no raccoons lately. (There used to be ditches with flowing water, not anymore. We have not seen raccoons since then.)