(GRAPHIC) What did this?!?

[Impatient]

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

It's not a dog crate, it a chicken/rabbit run from a farm supply shop, though it is built similar to a dog kennel. I know it's not the most secure, but I know for a fact it wasn't a raccoon. This happened at the brightest hour of the day for one, and for two in the three years of me living in my house I have yet to see a coon or have any coon activity nor have my neighbors, I live in a busy city. I really didn't consider it being a hawk until I walked out and saw for myself earlier a hawk laying on the ground, with its head between the bars, waiting for a chick to come close. Extremely odd behavior, but they are smart and adaptable hunters. I have some screen mesh I'm going to zip tie around the sides to keep it from being able to do that. Just didn't know if anyone had other weird experiences like this. This is just a temp set up while I get their main coop/run built, I'm working on a little coop to put inside it for now, but they have a dog carrier they use as a coop in the interim at night with roost bars.

 

[sourland]

Unlike most of the folks here, I am going with bird of prey. A raccoon would very likely have eaten the entire neck instead of stripping flesh from the bones. Bottom line is you need a better more permanent pen. Whatever it was will return.

 

[micstrachan]

I am so sorry for your loss. Glad you figured out it was a hawk. I was going with raccoon, UNLESS it was a daytime attack. Soubds like this was. At least now you know they aren’t secure so you can prevent more losses. Heads up, raccoons can live in cities, so you might want to make sure the crate they use at night can’t fit raccoon hands through and has a two-step locking mechanism. Good luck!

 

[BlueBaby]

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?
View attachment 1168214
View attachment 1168215

If you had to, you could attach some of that 1/4-inch hardware cloth wire to the dog crate, including on the bottom and top. That way nothing should be able to get to your remaining chicks unless it can fit into a 1/4-inch hole, and it would also help to keep the chicks heads inside of the cage out of grabbing distance.