devastated

[lorihadams]

Thursday night/friday morning we lost 10 of our 15 birds. I closed the run door and forgot to close the pop door on the coop. Something got in and killed 9 of my 10 light brahmas that were 9 weeks old and one of my broody prone sexlinks. It ate the heads off of 4 and just bit the jugulars and left the other ones for dead. I feel so guilty and I am just devastated. What could have done this? We have caught raccoons before but what would just eat the head and leave the rest and then go on a killing spree?

 

[lurky]

I'm sorry for your loss. I wonder if it might have been a weasel since the door to the run was closed. Was there damage to the run to get in? If it was damaged, maybe a coon, but otherwise maybe a weasel.

 

[lorihadams]

We have a gap in the top of the run, we just put a solid roof on it and had to elevate it on one side for drainage. I don't know if something climbed in or if it was a weasel if it just slinked on through somewhere, there was no damage evident to the run.

As far as the chickens go, the ones left intact looked to have bite marks on the necks and that's it. My larger hen was eaten down into the neck and one of the brahmas that was left in the run looks like something tried to pull it out of the enclosure but it could have been something that tried to get at it after it was dead like a possum. The remaining 8 were found inside the coop.

 

[catfish/okie]

Bet it was a raccoon. We dont have weasles could be one of them. Could be a skunk. Slim chance it could be a fox that killed them and planned on coming back to eat them. I do know coons will do this kind of killing.

 

[annie3001]

sorry for your loss.

 

[lurky]

that is so sad

I am so fortunate to never have a predator problem so far.
Its amazing how fast something will get in if you forget just once to close the door

We have set up a spy night vision camera to watch what goes on around the coop, we are lucky to never see anything.

 

[chickerdoodle]

So sorry for your loss. I would recommend checking the run carefully for any possible entry--even very small. Is the fencing 1/2" hardware cloth? Anything larger and raccoons can grab heads through it as the chickens panic and run around. Typically they will work as a team to get so many.

 

[Darlasmum]

This is very sad to read. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[rufus]

Were there any tracks? Sounds like skunk to me. Did you smell anything that night?

Rufus

 

[BorderKelpie]

I am sorry for your loss.