Help us figure out what killed our chickens last night

[dwebb1962]

Our chickens are in a fence with a coop; 6 hens and 1 rooster in one area and 3 roosters in separated area; 3hens dead in pen with slight damage near head but otherwise whole; 1 hen dead and buried in pen; 1 missing; 1 found in woods nearby with head gone and abdomen partially eaten; something dug under the fence (about wide enough to pull the chickens under); prints look like cat prints; there is a wild tom cat that stays near our woods; the rooster with the hens was injured on the head area and is still terrified; the 3 separated roosters are fine; could a cat do all this? Feathers everywhere btw; we are in south east rural Georgia; we can't really replace our hens until we figure out what happened.

 

[MandyH]

Sounds like a raccoon.

 

[kota1369]

Quote:
Ditto I am so sorry for your lose.

the lady with 4 dogs and 4 city chickens, 2 bunnies and a lizard

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Or an owl. An owl will swoop down and get them without them even realizing he/she is there. Owls eat just the eat and sometimes the organs.

I'm sorry.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

I say racoon and I say bury some fencing down deeper and enclose the roof but to find out set up a live trap what ever it is it will be back you still have roos

 

[J3172]

"1 hen dead and buried in pen;" That rules out raccoon, and owl, I'm 150% on that. So that leaves fox or cat. I've seen where bobcats buried rabbits under sticks and leaves, and fox bury what ever they cant eat right then and there. So it's one or the other. If you said you saw cat tracks it is a cat of some sort then.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

I'm thinking either fox, or coon.


NOT a feral cat, I'm pretty sure.

 

[Olive Hill]

Based on all the evidence I'd be more likely to suspect a weasel -- or similar animal -- the digging, the stashing a hen in a hole and the injuries being mostly to the heads and necks are tell tale. Their tracks will also be more "cat-like" than a raccoon or fox.

 

[J3172]

yes it sounds like a weasel because of the attacks on the head but a weasel cant drag a chicken off, and I think it would take way to long for it to bury a chicken, I still think fox, and a raccoon wouldn't bury a chicken.

 

[TinaK]

I'm in Australia.. and if that happened here.. it would have been a fox for sure!!.. we don't have weasels etc! ....

foxes are prone to burying... and eating abdomens