Dead chicken INSIDE electric fence

[cbrodsky]

Lost my first chicken after about a year of keeping them :-(

I have ~30 meat birds in an area penned with one 80-foot length of Premier poultry netting. They have a portable coop that I have been leaving open at night.

This morning, I found a chicken pressed up against the bottom of the electric fence on the inside of the fence. The fence was "clicking" louder than normal, maybe because the dead bird was helping to short it. I unfortunately was not smart enough to test the fence voltage before moving the bird, but after moving it, my tester read the usual 6000-8000V. I also did not check them last night, so I am not sure if it was killed during yesterday after ~8AM when I checked them or overnight. There were flies already all over the carcass if that tells the "CSI" types anything

My guess is a raccoon as I know they are prone to reach in through a fence and decapitate. But the strange part was that the head was decapitated and still inside the fencing. Unless the raccoon reached through to do this but then got enough of a charge to then somehow spasm/drop the head, I am not sure why I found separated parts inside the fence - I would have expected that outside the fence. Unless the raccoon got in the fence, and then I don't know why it would have left the bird up against the fence, much less how it got in and out. There was not much other visible damage to the chicken, and I didn't find any mess of stray feathers anywhere else that indicated a struggle, so I still lean towards a chicken being curious and getting grabbed at the fence edge.

Any other ideas on what may have happened? I can't find any other good clues but if I should look for something else, let me know.

I'm planning to setup a trap baited with cat food tomorrow night, and tonight, I have the coop door locked.

Thanks,
Colin

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Does the enclosure have a top?

How old are the birds?

-Kim

 

[cbrodsky]

I only have netting over about 2/3 of the area to help protect against hawks. I also setup branch piles and pallets in some of the open areas to give them some cover opportunity.

The birds are about 8 weeks old. They are slightly slower growing colored rangers - but pretty good size.

My hen run is more like Ft. Knox with strong mechanical fencing, buried HW cloth, covered run, etc... but I was counting on the poultry netting to let me skip much of that as the reviews are so positive.

-Colin

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I think you may have a hawk problem. It could be a coon, that sounds like the right description curious birds and a coon reaching through fence. I just don't see a coon sticking his paw through electric netting, they are smart, but I don't think THAT smart. It would be like playing the board game Operation with a broiler bird.

I can see a hawk or an owl getting in there, I've heard of them flying into barns and coops through the small pop doors and getting birds.

-Kim