Chickens heads ripped off in the night ? What did this 2 just gone , in closed coop all around & top

[Tonya weatherby]

 

[Diannastarr]

GOSH THAT IS SOOO HORRIBLE, geezzz i would be sooo horrified my self ,I wish i had more to tell you ,but i am an old dog breeder as we as an old farmer, do you have a good dog that could patrol your yard...after all your chickens are in for the night...?? I raised English Mastiffs for 30 years along with all my farm animals horses pigs cattle & the mastiffs were great with all my small kids & baby animals, baby ducks bunnies & chicks baby geese baby goats kittens & all, & all were out in my yard loose every day with my 15 English mastiffs, we had no fences or gates noting at all to keep them all in, but just my mastiffs...! we live at the edge of a giant 2000 acre forest , with one barn all the farm animals were locked in at night, we even had some mountain lions& bears around at night, but the Mastiffs kept every one safe and all in our yard ,no one left, all were kept in good order by my giant girls and also including my 2 year old son the last of 5, who did make an attempt to go out the drive way one summer afternoon , if it was not for his constant companion my oldest giant girl ELSA who was always by his side, so as he ran towards the open front drive ELSA stopped him & soon delivered him up to our front door by way of the back of his pants.....lol.. wish i had pictures of that.....lol.. but like any of my animals could have just walked on down the road, but not one did.,we never lost any, so if i needed a good dog right now...? which i feel is the best way to safe guard our farm animals i guess because of my past , if i was asked what a good breed of dog is, smaller then a giant mastiff.....lol... my pick would be a female Boarder Collie , all my mastiffs were girls ,the girls are the best & most dependable , hands down to the male dogs who seem to sleep all the time and leave all the work up to the ladies...! that goes for any breed of dog, the girls are best...! but right now if i needed a good dependable dog i would look for a good temperament tested stable female Boarder Collie .!!! we have one tiny hairless dog right now called a XOLO a breed from Mexico....lol... she is way to tiny to protect our yard.....lol... but i believe that a good dog is the best deterrent & a good way to keep all our babies safe , it could even be the smell of a dog around that helps to keep the wild animals away...?? so sorry this was long , but i wish you all the best and hope all your peeps remain safe from now on...! kind regards & take care Dianna

 

[chickie farmer]

chicken wire is useless for raccoons and Fox. It is used to keep chickens in but it won't stop larger animals from tearing a hole in it.Be sure all small openings are closed off. I use 1/2[ hardware cloth. you could try a live trap large enough to trap a fox, if you think that is what it is. You have a lot of great advice from above.

 

[Tonya weatherby]

Lost chickens heads ripped off in the night 1 had her rear end tore open also, 2 just gone coop is closed off top & all around. What did this ? I am in Williamson county fairview Tennessee

 

[iwiw60]

Most likely it was a raccoon or fox. Can you post a pic of your coop and run so we can see what's up? Also, what kind of wire are you using on your coop/run??? Do you see any footprints?? Do you see where/how they got in???

 

[Tonya weatherby]

No foot prints it rained a lot last night. I have chain link fence then it is wrapped in chicken wire plus 2 ft attached to bottom under ground a tight wire across top. Think it got in at the corner top of gate... 3 years never a problem till now , also got chickens next door last weekend & he failed to tell me !

 

[iwiw60]

I understand how upset you must be...with that said, you said you thought it got in through the top corner of your gate....a-typical for a raccoon! Is your gate chain link fence also? Can you post a pic of your area so I can get a better idea to help with beefing up your setup?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Oh, I am so so sorry!! I don't know what might have gotten in. But someone might know if you post this in our Predators and Pests section. They may be able to help you decipher what got in....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests

I hope your heavy heart can heal soon.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry for your losses. X2 on posting in the Predator forum with pictures.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! Sorry for your losses. The missing heads sounds like the work of a raccoon (although weasels and minks will also eat the heads off). You should replace the chicken wire with hardward cloth. There are just too many predators that can either tear through (like raccoons) or pass through (like weasels and minks) the openings in the mesh in chicken wire. And even if they can't tear through the underlying chain link fence, raccoons will reach through the openings and grab chickens pulling them against the fence and killing them. Good luck in predator proofing your coop and run.