Hi.
I wrote an introduction this morning. Have been getting a lot of advice through reading here over the past few months, but this time I wanted to write and finally registered an account.
We lost our second chicken last night. The first one was taken a week ago, and I thought it was because the door opened early in the morning and maybe a predator waited to gain access, even though it was well past sunrise.
This morning I saw what could be claw prints on the sliding door on both sides, and some blood. Now I am wondering if a raccoon could open a heavy (1 pound?) vertical sliding door with its claws? It also would have to do the same again on the way out, with a chicken in tow! I could do it with my fingernails, but barely. If this is what happened, I could put a piece of trim on the outside to cover the bottom edge up when the door is closed. I didn't do it because I thought it could freeze the door shut in the winter.
Another mystery for me is why there was almost no blood in both cases. Each time only one chicken got killed, which doesn't match what I have read about Raccoons. The first chicken got killed and partially eaten right inside the coop. It just laid there without it's head and neck, and the breast wide open, but very little blood. I found the second chicken which got taken this morning in the woods behind the fence. The head was still there but most of the body got eaten. Only the marks on the door and a couple of shavings are bloody. I am really surprised that there was not more blood, and not more killing.
There was no sign of digging anywhere and the fence is very secure, there are no holes. So the predator either climbed or fit though the 2x4" fence. But the chicken would not fit through it.
The chickens will be/would have been 12 weeks tomorrow. Really sad, they are wonderful and funny creatures. We now have four left.
Any idea who the predator might be? We live in the (small) city. There are foxes, raccoons and skunks but not much more to my knowledge.
Thank you for any advice, best guess theory etc.
The outside door close up:
The inside door:
The entire setup. Outside fence is 5' high. No signs of digging, also I have tent stakes every couple of inches in the ground.
Inside of the door, close up
I wrote an introduction this morning. Have been getting a lot of advice through reading here over the past few months, but this time I wanted to write and finally registered an account.
We lost our second chicken last night. The first one was taken a week ago, and I thought it was because the door opened early in the morning and maybe a predator waited to gain access, even though it was well past sunrise.
This morning I saw what could be claw prints on the sliding door on both sides, and some blood. Now I am wondering if a raccoon could open a heavy (1 pound?) vertical sliding door with its claws? It also would have to do the same again on the way out, with a chicken in tow! I could do it with my fingernails, but barely. If this is what happened, I could put a piece of trim on the outside to cover the bottom edge up when the door is closed. I didn't do it because I thought it could freeze the door shut in the winter.
Another mystery for me is why there was almost no blood in both cases. Each time only one chicken got killed, which doesn't match what I have read about Raccoons. The first chicken got killed and partially eaten right inside the coop. It just laid there without it's head and neck, and the breast wide open, but very little blood. I found the second chicken which got taken this morning in the woods behind the fence. The head was still there but most of the body got eaten. Only the marks on the door and a couple of shavings are bloody. I am really surprised that there was not more blood, and not more killing.
There was no sign of digging anywhere and the fence is very secure, there are no holes. So the predator either climbed or fit though the 2x4" fence. But the chicken would not fit through it.
The chickens will be/would have been 12 weeks tomorrow. Really sad, they are wonderful and funny creatures. We now have four left.
Any idea who the predator might be? We live in the (small) city. There are foxes, raccoons and skunks but not much more to my knowledge.
Thank you for any advice, best guess theory etc.
The outside door close up:
The inside door:
The entire setup. Outside fence is 5' high. No signs of digging, also I have tent stakes every couple of inches in the ground.
Inside of the door, close up
Last edited:
Pesky little buggers! I lost 7 6 week olds over the weekend and I swear I can’t even hardly tell how they got them. We have hardware cloth all the way around that only has 1/4 inch holes so I don’t know how they got them out. No blood, hardly any feathers the birds were just gone. Had to move all my birds to the garage until we figure everything out! Can’t stand these nasty varmits!
