Hello...I am new and have a question.

[AgnesB]

In a weeks time I have 'lost' 8 chickens..3 were killed and 5 disappeared...One was an older adult and 7 were this year's chickens..gotten in Feb. One was mangled (one of my babies) The bodies were left in the yard. 2 had heads removed..What could this be..? I am thinking feral cat..have caught one. Three were so tame and fun to be with that it has really made me sick...We do have lots of wildlife here (in New Mexico) but would they kill and leave the bird? One was killed at night the others during the day???

 

[eggbert420]

If birds are dead and not eaten but are missing their heads, the predator may be a raccoon, a hawk, or an owl.

 

[ronott1]

In a weeks time I have 'lost' 8 chickens..3 were killed and 5 disappeared...One was an older adult and 7 were this year's chickens..gotten in Feb. One was mangled (one of my babies) The bodies were left in the yard. 2 had heads removed..What could this be..? I am thinking feral cat..have caught one. Three were so tame and fun to be with that it has really made me sick...We do have lots of wildlife here (in New Mexico) but would they kill and leave the bird? One was killed at night the others during the day???

If birds are dead and not eaten but are missing their heads, the predator may be a raccoon, a hawk, or an owl.

Could be a skunk too. Weasels will kill and leave them too.
It is not likely to be cats.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Set up a "hunting cam" and / or live traps. We occasionally have to relocate coons that have developed a taste for fresh sleeping poultry.
Had a hawk swoop down close by me and snap a hens neck. The hen was too heavy to carry off so he left it there twitching. Now we have a big bag of bottle rockets standing by when hawks circle our property.
Chickens are prime food for predators.
I hope you can resolve the situation.

 

[Kusanar]

A cat likely would have taken the bird, raccoons seem to be bad about decapitating them though.

Now that the local wildlife knows that you have put a buffet out for them, they will likely be back. I would put the remaining birds in a secure area with hardware cloth, not chicken wire (a raccoon can rip through chicken wire fairly easily) and make sure that they are in a predator proof area at night. Technically, any hole bigger than 1/2 inch can let a weasel in, and they can kill sleeping chickens.

 

[eggbert420]

.22 long rifle works like a charm also.

 

[jvls1942]

head missing, bird left behind. I vote owl.

eggbert420, what kind of dogs are those in your avatar ? they look like my Maremma..

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

As alrwady noted, cat is your least likely suspect here. Do you free range your flock? Are your birds confined during roosting hours. ..if so can you describe, or better yet show photos of, your coop and or run?

 

[GGBEAR]

Do you have foxes there? That is what foxes do here in UK