Headless chicken

[Sue Stokes]

I found one of my hens dead this morning in a fox-proof run. My husband checked all round and found two small holes 3ft up from the ground in the chicken wire only big enough for a rat to squeeze through. We have overhead netting on the run so no chance of birds of prey entering. She was missing her head but otherwise undamaged. She was still warm so it can only have happened shortly before I found her at 8am. What sort of predator should we be on the look out for. My husband has already mended the holes. We live in a semi-rural area with lots of other houses nearby.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I am so sorry for your loss!
It could have been a Weasel or Racoon. It will be back! Can u put up a field camera. Good luck keeping the rest of your flock safe!

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Weasel or Raccoon. They are vicious little critters.

 

[PirateGirl]

I would suspect a raccoon, they can reach their hands through the hole and grab a chicken, however I suspect the hole was not big enough to pull the chicken's body through to carry away the meal, but was perhaps large enough to pull the head through and leaving the body behind in the run.

 

[mili137]

i think it is an european polecat

 

[roosterhavoc]

You would be surprised just how small a hole a raccoon of decent size can squeeze through. Years ago I left eggs in a nest box for a hen to sit on and I knew for a fact they were there the night before. Next morning gone before sunrise so I knew it wasn’t the hen eating them. There was a very small depression on one corner of the pen I could barely fit my hand under and into the pen. Sure enough I caught a raccoon in a cage with eggs 2 ft away. He was a decent sized raccoon too. I didn’t believe that was the right animal so I left eggs in the nest for the next few days but pulled the cage. Nothing else. So it was most likely him.

 

[Trish1974]

You would be surprised just how small a hole a raccoon of decent size can squeeze through.

Agree.

 

[mili137]

or just polecat search on google because also i had 8 little birds about 3 months 5 roosters and 3 pullets and i fond them killed with their head removed from body it has killed all of them and belive me it was very terrible when i found them

 

[mili137]

i am using this conversation to ask you something
i noticed 1 hen staying alone from the others could it be going broody

 

[roosterhavoc]

or just polecat search on google because also i had 8 little birds about 3 months 5 roosters and 3 pullets and i fond them killed with their head removed from body it has killed all of them and belive me it was very terrible when i found them

What exactly are you calling a polecat?