(GRAPHIC) What did this?!?

[Impatient]

Yesterday I walked outside to find one of my pullets decapitated and half-pulled through the chicken pen. Whatever got her couldn't get her out, but managed to kill her all the same. At first I figured it was a neighborhood cat, and the pullet, her name was Mort, was a big for her britches bird. She had no issue sticking her head between the pen bars to peck at things, bigger than her or not and I thought she had done this and a cat got her before she could pull her head back into safety. However, this morning, my bf was talking the puppy for a walk and said there was a falcon literally on the ground in front of the pen, staring at the remaining chicks. I do recall see him hanging out for the last week, but didn't think much of it because the chick pen is fully covered so it wouldn't be able to swoop to carry one off. Anyhow, here's some photos of the aftermath, does this look like a bird of prey attack?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

looks like a raccoon to me....

 

[azygous]

I agree. Raccoon.

Think about installing electric hot wire around your run with peanut butter dabbed on it at intervals to invite the predator to "take a taste". If you were to stick your tongue on a wire with 10,000 volts you would never come back to do it again. And you're almost as smart as a raccoon, I bet.

 

[chickens really]

Not a secure pen at all..You will need to secure your pen or better yet build a secure Coop and Run...The predator will come back for the rest...

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

I agree with a raccoon. For future preventative measures, I would consider smaller bars for the cage. If your fingers can fit, damage can be done. Maybe also bury hardware cloth. Best wishes!

-Chatty

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Not a secure pen at all..You will need to secure your pen or better yet build a secure Coop and Run...The predator will come back for the rest...

Totally agree with this. Its easy for anything to reach through those bars, and easy for them to dig under them. I would have used something like that as a temp holding area when I was outside with them only. Not as permanent home.

 

[chickens really]

Totally agree with this. Its easy for anything to reach through those bars, and easy for them to dig under them. I would have used something like that as a temp holding area when I was outside with them only. Not as permanent home.

That's a Dog crate...Not a Chicken pen...I use those for introductions, breaking a Broody or a Puppy...

 

[Frazzemrat1]

That's a Dog crate...Not a Chicken pen...I use those for introductions, breaking a Broody or a Puppy...

I get that... I used one when my girls were too little to stay outside in the coop, but I wanted them to get some time outside. And they'd only be in it for an hour or two, completely supervised.

 

[microchick]

Agreed. Raccoon. Also agree, hotwire and wrap the lower half of the pen in hardware cloth so birds can't stick their heads through the bars. Racoons will reach through even hexagon chicken wire, pull a bird's head through and decapitate slicker than the devil.

So sorry for your loss You need to get busy because as stated, that chicken killer will be back.

Also I would advise going to your nearest farm supply store and picking up a "Havaheart" live trap, raccoon size and set it using a few giant marshmallows and a small tuna can of water. Mr Raccoon likes desert more than he does a chicken dinner. Once caught you can dispatch the killer. Please don't take it somewhere else and release it to become a problem for another chicken owner. I was advised by a city dog catcher that if you don't have a .22 rifle, take it to the nearest body of water, tie a rope to the trap and toss it in to drown the problem animal..

Good luck getting rid of that raccoon. Hope your other chooks stay safe.

 

[savannahRoos22]

I am SOO sosososos sorry!!