can someone please help identifie

[teresa42299]

hi. today I discovered a decapitated chick in the cage it was in. I looked around and saw no tracks. I looked at the other chicks and noticed 2 of my young cockerels were missing their top curving tail feather. then I looked at the main coop and saw that there were white feathers around a corner. I checked our white hen and saw that she was missing some feathers down her neck. what predator is doing this? is it the work of a raccoon?

 

[zazouse]

Can you provide photos of the setup they were in.
Sorry for your loss

 

[Cole D]

It sounds like a raccoon or a possum, maybe a feral cat. If you didn't see tracks then it is probably something that can climb and get on top of a cage or hand on chicken wire.

 

[teresa42299]

I cant show pics , don't have a sd that doesn't have to many pics on it. but each little crate has a roof on it and each one is a few meters apart from the main coop.

 

[teresa42299]

it struck again!

it tore off one of my chickies wing.

you can see the bone and a bit of the inside. then it got more feathers off my other chickens. there's a tiny trail of feathers leading off in the woods.

 

[rlephoto]

sounds like you need smaller mess on your cages so what ever is doing this can't reach in. Its all just a learning cruve. Sorry about your girls.

 

[shmccarthy]

It sounds a bit like a feral cat. You can read here to see what matches what happened.
http://icwdm.org/inspection/livestock.asp

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Only raccoons can climb like ivy, have a grasping hand like humans, possess the dexterity and has enough strength to pull a living chicken's wing off.

 

[teresa42299]

we're thinking about getting some security cameras and see what it is.it seems to be getting them when we're not home, outside or late at night/early morning.

 

[teresa42299]

it was a fox. how can I keep them away?