Finally met my predator match. Need help.

[McChooky]

Last time the op visited the site was shortly after posting this April 24'

 

[2 Acres]

Hello chicken friends. This is a long story with lots of details, but I’m hoping someone can help me crack this case.
I’ve been keeping chickens for 11 yrs. In the beginning, I lost a few to racoons. But then we built Fort Knox. The yard has skirted hardware cloth, a coup in the middle they roost in. Off and on through the years they will roost in an exterior spot in a corner so we wrapped that in hardware cloth too. It has a roof, the rest is wrapped in hog wire. I know things could get in hog wire, but we’ve never had an issue since everywhere they sleep is safe. My biggest issue until now is how long my chickens live past their egg laying days. I have an 11 year old hen, my old rooster just died at 10 1/2 over the winter.
No problems until now. A couple of weeks ago we lost a hen overnight while she was inside the coop. Something ate her neck and crop. We we confused but thought maybe she was killed just before they were locked in for the night and we somehow didn’t notice. For the next week, we locked all the chickens up at night and then relaxed again. Then last week, somehow a chicken didn’t go in the coop one night and we didn’t realize it. The next early morning our dog woke us up, we ran out there to find a dead chicken. Went in to get coffee and when we went back out, whatever killed her had remained close and it took her body. It had to climb over our 5 foot fence to get her and to take her.
So I set our trap. First night I caught a feral looking cat. Second night I caught a possum. I know people say possums will kill, but we always have possums and we’ve never had a problem. The one I caught looked very much like the one that comes to our front porch to dine on cat food every night. Very young, I’d guess weighs 4 lbs. eating cat food and chicken feed is the only trouble we’ve ever had out of possums.
We had to be gone one night over Easter, so I did not set my trap. We got home late last night and when I woke up, I looked out and saw feathers everywhere. Since we were gone, I KNOW that the chickens were safe in their enclosure when I left them, no mistakes on our part.
When I got out there, there were FOUR dead chickens. In fact, 4 of my best 1 year old hens, the best layers. The rooster, also a year old, is alive but bloody, all the dead hens are missing their heads.
The dead hens are amberlinks, so light in color. The old chickens that survived, a brown (11 yr old Americana), a black (8 yr old black australorp), and a light polish mix (at least 6 yrs), and one amberlink hen.
So #1, it is something that can fit through Hogwire. #2 it only took the heads. #3 it appeared to go after lighter feathers, so maybe could see them better?
I know possums can kill, but I have a hard time believing this young possum who is well fed on cat food would do this. Our yard backs up to a small patch of woods in central Kentucky. We know we have racoons, but have never had issues with them since building Fort Knox. We’ve seen a Fox out there lately, there is no way he got into the coup. What else could it be?

Skunk???

 

[McChooky]

Skunk???

He's seen a fox and they can squeeze thru a 3" hole (hog wire)
A fox can carry a chicken over a fence too ( he mentioned going back in the house and the dead chicken was gone) Edit: Foxes will bite their heads off (kill quickly) so they can't escape and will carry them off one by one if not detected.Only a fox could pull this off

 

[TOR]

hogwire with big squares. Raccoon will reach in grab chickens eat the head off.
Possum are lazy. I had a chicken kill in winter ate from the back end and it was a big possum. Otherwise I free range in winter little possums eat the chicken food. Drink the water and try to hide have a new home.Possum dont hibernate.
The other bird injured? Bites around neck area weasel. Weasel eat heads also or carry them away and come back for more.Weasel store food in its burrow.
Have water around Mink part of the weasel family.

Now reading climbed over, a raccoon will climb and carry a chicken away and notorious for eating heads.

Had raccoon kill some chickens this spring and it came back I shot it. Had to weigh 25 to 30 pounds all of it if not more. Easily carry chicken away.
The way Im reading is there is no top to your enclosure anyway.

Put up a game camera.It will be back for more.whatever it is.

 

[TOR]

He's seen a fox recently and they can squeeze thru a 3" hole.They can also carry a chicken over a tall fence.

Fox can climb. climb trees anyway. Fox can jump whether it could jump over the fence without a running start?

 

[chicken dinner]

My vote is opossum. We had them under the barn, where Dad had built a coop, possums killed quite a few chickens. My Dad, trapped and shot a lot of them. Though in the end he built a new chicken run and coop, this time chain link fence panels, with chicken wire, chick wire, and buried it.

Lol's...
Then he raised piglets, in that old chicken pen and barn stall.

 

[McChooky]

Fox can climb. climb trees anyway. Fox can jump whether it could jump over the fence without a running start?

Foxes can climb a hardwire fence and jump .Nothing bigger than a fox could have gone thru the hog panels unless except maybe a bob cat

 

[McChooky]

My vote is opossum. We had them under the barn, where Dad had built a coop, possums killed quite a few chickens. My Dad, trapped and shot a lot of them. Though in the end he built a new chicken run and coop, this time chain link fence panels, with chicken wire, chick wire, and buried it.

Lol's...
Then he raised piglets, in that old chicken pen and barn stall.

Can a possum drag a chicken thru the yard and over a fence? lol

 

[McChooky]

My vote is opossum. We had them under the barn, where Dad had built a coop, possums killed quite a few chickens. My Dad, trapped and shot a lot of them. Though in the end he built a new chicken run and coop, this time chain link fence panels, with chicken wire, chick wire, and buried it.

Lol's...
Then he raised piglets, in that old chicken pen and barn stall.

Possums don't kill a whole flock and drag them over fences to get away.They eat them right there...

 

[McChooky]

hogwire with big squares. Raccoon will reach in grab chickens eat the head off.
Possum are lazy. I had a chicken kill in winter ate from the back end and it was a big possum. Otherwise I free range in winter little possums eat the chicken food. Drink the water and try to hide have a new home.Possum dont hibernate.
The other bird injured? Bites around neck area weasel. Weasel eat heads also or carry them away and come back for more.Weasel store food in its burrow.
Have water around Mink part of the weasel family.

Now reading climbed over, a raccoon will climb and carry a chicken away and notorious for eating heads.

Had raccoon kill some chickens this spring and it came back I shot it. Had to weigh 25 to 30 pounds all of it if not more. Easily carry chicken away.
The way Im reading is there is no top to your enclosure anyway.

Put up a game camera.It will be back for more.whatever it is.

Raccoons are good climbers maybe a coon...