- Feb 6, 2017
- 3
- 7
- 64
Anybody out there in Utah that might be able to help me?
My chickens are completely free range in our pasture on the east bench of the mountains in Central Utah Valley, UT. Last Tuesday afternoon, after some pretty heavy storms, my husband discovered 2 of our chickens had been killed. Their their necks and heads were completely stripped to the bone, and a their backs were missing feathers and chewed up some. They weren't killed the same day/night, since one was covered in maggots, but not the other. My husband insisted it was the rooster (a young rooster from spring), but it was too late to really catch and put all of the hens away in their henhouse and bar the entry. Our hens are nearly impossible to catch.
We didn't see the dead one on Wed, but Thursday discovered the gruesome remains of the next 2. Same MO except one was missing the head and neck completely. Next morning, my husband found another, just as it was getting light. My husband was still insistent that it was the rooster and that some other critter was eating the hens.
We had a terrible slaughter by a raccoon 2 years ago, and this was nothing like the same in the way the birds were killed and eaten. We found out there are hawks that have done this in a city close to us, so we thought if we locked the hens in their house and separated the rooster in the chicken run, which is very secure, we'd find out if the rooster was killing them and they'd be safe from hawks..
Not the rooster! Something managed to squeeze into the run under the pen, killed the rooster, and ate it in the same manner, but his entire head and neck were gone. It can't be hawks, because they would have a very hard time getting into the run, if at all! Any ideas? A mink or a weasel that can get through horse/no climb fencing (2" x 4")or chicken wire. All hens were full size and mature. I've got traps and cameras out with the rooster as bait but this is as frustrating as can be! If I don't catch this or these things, my chickens can never go outside again!
It's really sad that this first hen, the barred rock, was one of 2 survivors of the vicious coon attack 2 years ago, and I was able to save her and get her well, except that she had one blind eye and a bit of a crooked neck. You can see the type of fencing that their pen has.
![IMG_9938[1].JPG](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_9938-1-jpg.3655691/ "IMG_9938[1].JPG")
![IMG_9937[1].JPG](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_9937-1-jpg.3655695/ "IMG_9937[1].JPG")
![IMG_9946[1].JPG](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_9946-1-jpg.3655696/ "IMG_9946[1].JPG")
![IMG_3005[1].JPG](https://www.backyardchickens.com/data/attachments/3619/3619592-4797291d8453c5f5bb909a254a8d6579.jpg "IMG_3005[1].JPG")
My chickens are completely free range in our pasture on the east bench of the mountains in Central Utah Valley, UT. Last Tuesday afternoon, after some pretty heavy storms, my husband discovered 2 of our chickens had been killed. Their their necks and heads were completely stripped to the bone, and a their backs were missing feathers and chewed up some. They weren't killed the same day/night, since one was covered in maggots, but not the other. My husband insisted it was the rooster (a young rooster from spring), but it was too late to really catch and put all of the hens away in their henhouse and bar the entry. Our hens are nearly impossible to catch.
We didn't see the dead one on Wed, but Thursday discovered the gruesome remains of the next 2. Same MO except one was missing the head and neck completely. Next morning, my husband found another, just as it was getting light. My husband was still insistent that it was the rooster and that some other critter was eating the hens.
We had a terrible slaughter by a raccoon 2 years ago, and this was nothing like the same in the way the birds were killed and eaten. We found out there are hawks that have done this in a city close to us, so we thought if we locked the hens in their house and separated the rooster in the chicken run, which is very secure, we'd find out if the rooster was killing them and they'd be safe from hawks..
Not the rooster! Something managed to squeeze into the run under the pen, killed the rooster, and ate it in the same manner, but his entire head and neck were gone. It can't be hawks, because they would have a very hard time getting into the run, if at all! Any ideas? A mink or a weasel that can get through horse/no climb fencing (2" x 4")or chicken wire. All hens were full size and mature. I've got traps and cameras out with the rooster as bait but this is as frustrating as can be! If I don't catch this or these things, my chickens can never go outside again!
It's really sad that this first hen, the barred rock, was one of 2 survivors of the vicious coon attack 2 years ago, and I was able to save her and get her well, except that she had one blind eye and a bit of a crooked neck. You can see the type of fencing that their pen has.
