Help Identifying predatorr!!!! BUSTED!!!! I CAUGHT THEM!

[hollymh]

UPDATE: Went to check the girls and busted two opossums trying to get in, I found the spot he was getting in and it wasn't one I saw, he made it!!! I wired everything up and reinforced the area. Stake out and kill time, little jerkface lit a fire up under me, they came back and they're going to pay!!!!

I lost three pullets last night, I didn't hear anything! And of course one of them was my favorite SLW--- so out of the three one missing a head body intact, one everything was eaten but the legs and wings, one was fully intact... So what could it be, I thought my coop was secure but apparently not, please help. My first loss and I'm pretty disheartened.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Sounds like a dog to me.
It takes a good sized animal to eat a whole chicken (Assuming they were nearly grown)

 

[hollymh]

The were smaller pullets about 10wks, theres no possible way a dog could have gotten in, it was in the closed coop, Im at a loss how anything could have gotten in, my adult hens were unscathed.

 

[Scalco]

We had a possum do that to ours.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

The were smaller pullets about 10wks, theres no possible way a dog could have gotten in, it was in the closed coop, Im at a loss how anything could have gotten in, my adult hens were unscathed.

In that case I'd agree with "possum"

It doesn't take much of an opening for a possum to squeeze through, and they are excellent climbers

 

[hollymh]

bummer, ok well I went through and did some more fortification in hopes of deterring anymore visitors, I have a creek about 35 yards from my coop and I have seen lots of possums. I thought I would lose birds to my resident bob cat before anything else. Also setting up a game camera and a lethal trap, just sad to lose my favorite girl

 

[shmccarthy]

That sounds like a possum to me. They typically like to eat the head and entrails. Check your coop top to bottom for any holes. Raccoons can fit their body through a 4" gap and possums, typically being smaller, can fit through smaller holes. Do you have a run connected to your coop?

 

[GuineaFowling]

I kept fifty broiler chicks in my coop with two guinea keets and something also attacked them all. The chicks were dead and had little wounds on their necks (like a vampire bite) while others were beheaded. It was the neighborhood stray kittens who had some fun. Though I agree with the others, it most likely is a opossum or a raccoon. Secure your coop, block any crevice whether it is 4 inches in width or larger. I witnessed my cat squeeze under a tiny 2 inch width under the kennel door.

 

[hollymh]

That sounds like a possum to me. They typically like to eat the head and entrails. Check your coop top to bottom for any holes. Raccoons can fit their body through a 4" gap and possums, typically being smaller, can fit through smaller holes. Do you have a run connected to your coop?

Yes my run and coop are connected with two doors, one on the run side and one on the outside. I think I found where the culprit got in, I sealed EVERY tiny spot I could find I sat inside and looked around for 20mins to ensure I sealed everything. Where I found a gap was in my ventilation area, the galvanized wire had been somehow folded down, it may have been something I missed while building. I used expanding crete to seal and then added another layer of galvanized wire around the outside and re-did the wire inside so there is a double layer of wire now. 4" is tiny I am shocked, but I refuse to let it happen again, Im always diligent about getting the girls in at night at sundown and out after sunrise so it was pretty crappy to walk in the coop and find them

 

[shmccarthy]

It is very heartbreaking I lost 7 to a fox because I wasn't watching them closely while they were free ranging. I learned though you can't prevent every possible thing that may happen but it's best to learn from it. I would just double secure everything and frequently check your coop and run for any signs of predator attempts. I check my coop and run a couple times a week top to bottom just to make sure nothing has been trying. I would try to get a trap because whatever it ended up being, will most certainly be back.