Headless Rooster

[bradley-c]

Last night a predator killed one of my game roosters and ate the head of off it, any ideas?

 

[HEChicken]

I'm sorry for your loss. That sounds the modus operandi of a raccoon.

 

[LTygress]

OR... a possum.

I had a hen killed two days ago and her head was missing. The predator had to climb into the pen to get her (chain-link). I knew the little pest would be coming back for the rest of her, so I moved the extra-large trap right beside the pen, and put the rest of her carcass in the bait basket. The very next day, there was a possum in there. He was only a baby (she was only a bantam) but the other two chickens in that same pen haven't been touched since. The possum was relocated through Animal Control yesterday, and once I get the trap back I plan to reset it just in case.

But the fact that I caught a possum and the other two chickens in there haven't been touched, tells me that possum was probably the culprit. But the evidence is the same - missing head.

 

[twin2ty]

We lost two hens like that. Set up the night vision camera and some bait and caught a opossum in the pen. Wish we could have seen where it got in at, but I think the camera scared it away, because we never caught it again.

 

[cgmccary]

A number of predators will eat only the head. Tell more. Where was he found? Had he been moved from original location? Was he roosting enclosed? in the open? Opossum is a possibility for sure but there are others (GHO will eat only a head sometimes).

 

[bwr719]

Agree on the coon

 

[bradley-c]

I shined it's eyes this morning with a flashlight just before daylight. It won't survive tonight, whether it's a coon or a 'possum, and yes the rooster was in a 4x4 pen. It scared him down off the roost and caught him close to the wire.

 

[aart]

If it ate it's head thru the wire, I'd guess coon....not sure is possum would do that, but a coon sure would.