Coon vs. Possum

[Chuk]

I forgot to close my run/coop one night and the next morning I was minus one chicken. There were some feathers in the run but no carcass. I did find two clumps of feathers in the yard 75 yards away but again no remnants of my chicken. I question if this was a coon or possum. I live in the city in a neighborhood of 1 acer lots so I'm not thinking fox etc. Any thoughts?

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I have never dealt with possum but that sound consistent with raccoon "attacks" I have had. Hope you can catch it. They are crafty creatures.

 

[Gramma Chick]

I forgot to close my run/coop one night and the next morning I was minus one chicken. There were some feathers in the run but no carcass. I did find two clumps of feathers in the yard 75 yards away but again no remnants of my chicken. I question if this was a coon or possum. I live in the city in a neighborhood of 1 acer lots so I'm not thinking fox etc. Any thoughts?

Could be anything ...Id say fox .Foxes do hunt at night ...And in areas where people live .
The predator had to be big & strong enough to carry it 75 yards before readjusting its hold

 

[Mahlzeit]

My money would be on a raccoon.

 

[bobbi-j]

It very well could have been a fox. They tend to be nocturnal, so you won't see them often during the day. Not only do foxes live in urban/suburban areas, so do coyotes and even deer. When my son was attending college in St. Paul, MN, he watched a coyote run across a busy 4-lane highway. He also saw the biggest antlered white-tail buck he's ever seen down there. What I'm trying to say is, just because you don't see them, it doesn't mean they're not there.

 

[shmccarthy]

Missing body with feather trail is consistent with a fox. Fox live everywhere pretty much. I've seen them in the city just as often as in the country. They will also hunt day or night if hungry, as with any predator, it doesn't matter to them. Raccoons and possums will typically kill and eat on spot, usually starting at the head and working down to the breast meat and possums are known for eating the entrails. Possums will hardly carry off a kill, raccoons may carry off a kill, but the like to eat things close to where it was killed. In addition, raccoons become really aggressive when it comes to killing. There's usually a lot of blood and they end up killing multiples in a frenzy. We lost an entire flock to raccoons a few years ago and only one or two were eaten, the rest were just killed.
When a fox attacks, they sneak up on the animal and go for the neck and try and kill it as quick as possible. They will carry their prey off and eat it back at their den or bury it for later. They are very opportunistic.