Help ID predator, no photos but description

[huntersmoon]

We are near Austin Texas. My coop is 12x10 wrapped in 1/2" hardware cloth and has a screen door (double latched) opening to a 12x12 run that is wrapped in 1x3" metal fence panel.

Something got in and ate seven of my nine hens. We found a place where the fence panel attaches to the coop housing, where there's a loose edge giving an opening of about 4-5" across. The footing of coop and run has a cement trench deep enough to deter digging and we've never had anything try to dig in.

The hens were fully eaten, leaving just a line of bone from back of skull to legs - not taken apart, just one line of skull - spine/ribs - legs. All muscle and organs were gone.

It happened at night.

We have almost 15 acres and so we have a variety of wildlife, from bobcats to raccoons, skunks, foxes, possums (and coyotes of course).

I appreciate any help in what you think this might be. I would think it was more than one, for how could one predator completely eat seven hens?

Thanks
Shannon

 

[CluckerFamily]

Where all 7 chicken bones left behind?
Fox will take the whole chicken
Possums usually take eggs
Raccoon eats the heads
Weasel kills for sport
Bobcat, Lynx, coyotes, wolves would take the entire chicken
Owls would leave behind feathers
Cats and bobcat, lynx will try to bury parts

 

[reddogmaster2]

We are near Austin Texas. My coop is 12x10 wrapped in 1/2" hardware cloth and has a screen door (double latched) opening to a 12x12 run that is wrapped in 1x3" metal fence panel.

Something got in and ate seven of my nine hens. We found a place where the fence panel attaches to the coop housing, where there's a loose edge giving an opening of about 4-5" across. The footing of coop and run has a cement trench deep enough to deter digging and we've never had anything try to dig in.

The hens were fully eaten, leaving just a line of bone from back of skull to legs - not taken apart, just one line of skull - spine/ribs - legs. All muscle and organs were gone.

It happened at night.

We have almost 15 acres and so we have a variety of wildlife, from bobcats to raccoons, skunks, foxes, possums (and coyotes of course).

I appreciate any help in what you think this might be. I would think it was more than one, for how could one predator completely eat seven hens?

Thanks
Shannon

Hardware Cloth is your friend!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I just read online that a raccoon will eat the organs and even suck the organs out of the chicken. When you say the skull and bones were left... do you mean the head and carcass? Or was everything picked off the bones and skull?
It could've been a family of raccoons if the carcass was still there without the organs.

 

[huntersmoon]

Everything was picked off of the bones and the bones were still connected rather than torn apart from each other.

Yes, our coop portion is fully wrapped and I'm kicking myself for feeling safe in leaving that door open. The openings on the run are just the 1x3 I mentioned but I didn't realize there was a corner they'd pried up.

Thanks
Shannon

 

[cmom]

If you have a game camera, put it up and you should see what the predator is. It will be back and then you will know what you're dealing with and can form a plan. Maybe set a live trap with some cat food or dog food. I have used some old processed chicken that found it's way to the bottom of my freezer.