Chicken attacked and killed in new way?

[thebeesaresleepy]

I live in Northern Kentucky, and today my favorite hen was killed in an unusual and new way. Her neck was stripped down to the esophagus, and her head was picked nearly clean. There are blood splatters all over the inside of the box they sleep in, and she was tucked in the corner under the egg boxes. The rooster she was with had blood on his face and feet, and there are no signs of anything getting in. No bent fencing, no feathers scattered, no holes in the area around the coop, nothing. we have barbed wire wrapped around the coop up to 3 feet high. Would a rooster do this? Is there some kind of new predator in northern kentucky that can get passed barbed wire?

 

[Tonyroo]

Weasels, possum, large rats.

 

[Eggcessive]

Very sorry for your loss. I would go over the whole coop, and look for any opening 1 inch or more, such as door facings or chicken wire. Game cameras are good for catching a predator or seeing if it was a flock problem.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Weasel is my first guess but a mink or rat can also squeeze in where there is no apparent point of access.
Barb wire is good for confining cattle and to a lesser degree, horses and hogs but not really useful for small predators.

 

[thebeesaresleepy]

Weasels, possum, large rats.

are they new to northern kentucky? because there haven’t been any attacks like the one i experienced in my area

 

[thebeesaresleepy]

Weasel is my first guess but a mink or rat can also squeeze in where there is no apparent point of access.
Barb wire is good for confining cattle and to a lesser degree, horses and hogs but not really useful for small predators.

the barbed wire is layered so that anything trying to reach in will be cut by it, theres no way in the bottom without being snagged by the barbs

 

[thebeesaresleepy]

I live in Northern Kentucky, and today my favorite hen was killed in an unusual and new way. Her neck was stripped down to the esophagus, and her head was picked nearly clean. There are blood splatters all over the inside of the box they sleep in, and she was tucked in the corner under the egg boxes. The rooster she was with had blood on his face and feet, and there are no signs of anything getting in. No bent fencing, no feathers scattered, no holes in the area around the coop, nothing. we have barbed wire wrapped around the coop up to 3 feet high. Would a rooster do this? Is there some kind of new predator in northern kentucky that can get passed barbed wire?

forgot to add, this happened during the day. we saw everyone doing great this morning but when i went out to feed them i saw what happened

 

[theoldchick]

The head thing makes me think owl but they are not usually out during the day. Can we see a photo of your setup. Also, a game camera may help identify your predator. Sorry you lost your hen in such a way.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

the barbed wire is layered so that anything trying to reach in will be cut by it, theres no way in the bottom without being snagged by the barbs

Do you have them confined in the layered barbwire housing during the day?
I have a lot of experience with barbed wire. I can't imagine something so completely wrapped with barb wire that a mink or weasel can't find a point of entry. Do you know how tiny those little devils are? An animal that can enter a 1" opening surely can find that much space between barbs.

 

[sourland]

I live in Northern Kentucky, and today my favorite hen was killed in an unusual and new way. Her neck was stripped down to the esophagus, and her head was picked nearly clean.

In my experience this has been typical of Cooper's hawks, but generally there are pulled and scattered feathers around the carcass. Yes, they will enter a coop to kill birds.