Dog or Racoon, that is the Question!!

[americanchicks]

Hi so I have 3 hens left 2 PR and one SLW. Today we lost our SLW Peezer. My 4 year old is pretty sad to say the least. Peezer was her fave and she even named her. Its nice that I have some chicks, she is playing with them now and even asked if we could name the baby BR Peezer

So we have now lost 2 hens to a predator here, both SLW. Fist time it was while on vacation. My mother called me to let me know that one of my chickens got killed. No wounds just a lot of feathers in the pen and a small hole in the fence where something got underneath. Got home today and noticed that our PRs where loose. Went to see if the gate got left open to see Peezer dead just outside the coop. It looked like the skin around the neck was eaten but then noticed that the skin was just torn. No feathers around the pen this time. It just happened too, she was still warm and not very stiff. So dog or racoon? I think dog because it happened in the day and both times the hens where not eaten. I suspect my neighbors little dog. It comes in our yard sometimes in a hole under the fence. When my husband gets home he is going to patch is up.





This is where I found her


I checked the skin is all there around the neck just had been torn off. The head and crop is intact.

Here is Peezer a few days ago. We will miss you pretty girl.....

 

[Millworker26]

Does not seem to be th MO of raccoon. Either dog our something else. How do you plan to tighten things up to keep whatever it is out?

 

[americanchicks]

Its been 4 days and all seems good. My hubby patched up the fence where the dog was getting into the yard. Also repaired the weak spot in the pen where it looks like the dog got in. So far so good

 

[centrarchid]

Damage shown with little or no feathers strung about much more constistent with an owl. Dog would not strip flesh away from neck vertebrate, nexk would be bitten through with bones consumed. Fox and coyote would do similar to dog although less like to leave a largely intact bird at kill sight.

How might an owl be getting at birds at night? They will walk on ground to do it.