Help with identifying predator !

[butlersma]

I have gone from a flock of 13 hens and 2 silkie Roos in 9 days! I’m beyond heart broken - and I’ve had chickens for about 6-7 years this time -
First night I had my Roos in a rural king coop in my run - fenced in and fenced on top - one was dragged out and wound was head and guts eaten through I guess stomach? The 2nd roo was attacked but I think the other saved it - the next day a hen was outside the coop in same condition - this has continued every day except 2 I believe. The exception is night before last hen was killed in cooo and last night was brought outside coop- feathers everywhere. I have scanned every inch and am desperate to save my last 7 girls. I’ve attached very graphic pics

 

[Officialchickensnuggler]

It definitely could be a raccoon-tonight you should stay outside hidden and see if u can spot anything getting into the coop

 

[HollowOfWisps]

You are dealing with a raccoon.

 

[JPadronMiami]

hello, sorry to hear about the poultry you've lost, have u walked around the coop and runs to see if there is a tear in the mesh or hole in a plank? Im constantly checking and fixing or mending around my runs and coops, i did have a problem last year where i lost 2 little OEGC hens, back then I was having issues with large rats that would get in and eat the eggs, i baited and trapped dozens of them since then finally got rid of most of them, Yu can never eradicate them completely, they are a natural part of the environment but you can reduce their numbers considerable if you are consistent with plugging up their entry points, bating and trapping, I also make sure there is no feed left in the coops or horse stalls after 5 pm, I noticed this is when they'd come around as the evening cooled down. im not saying this is the "cure all" but I can tell you its worked for us for the most part, incidentally, we do have Raccoons, Oppossums, Iguanas, feral cats and dogs, even seen a fox on the property here and there, and of course our fair share of Aireal predators as well...hope this helps.....Joe

 

[JPadronMiami]

Racoon! I heard racoons are smart and they learn as they get older, around here we say that if 5 year old can open it or work it out so can a racoon....people in my area bait there traps with marshmallow, catch em and relocate them......far away...

 

[butlersma]

Thanks to all that replied - I did stay up all night the third time - and I seen eyes in the tree closest to the coop - we stared each other down for good 30-45 minutes - I asked hubby to grab pellet gun but he didn’t have a C02 cartridge then nothing for a couple days - think I’m going to Rambo up and stay up again tonight and have a to heart with whatever - I believe a raccoon too. Thanks again everyone

 

[JPadronMiami]

oh thats humorous (Ramdo up comment lol) the rest of it kinda reminded me of when I was a kid and my mom would say "young man we need to have a heart to heart) as she walked out the kitchen door, 3 minutes later we'd see her walk back in with a switch....lol...

 

[Red Horse]

Raccoons are the worst, they can fit in places you would never expect for how big they look. Make sure any doors taller than 1ft on the coop have a latch at both the top and bottom, or they can get the door open at one corner and squeeze in.

Screw hardware cloth over any opening that is 4" or larger, cause that's all the bigger opening they need. They're strong enough to bust through hardware cloth that has just been stapled.

They can open pretty much any latch, even carabiners if you have educated ones around. Small padlocks with the key hanging close by are my go-to, cause the ones in my area know everything. And they will dig too, so hardware cloth around the outside of your coop is a good idea.

Once one of them knows they can get into your birds, their whole family and little raccoon neighborhood knows too so you'll definitely want to fortify your defenses because it's likely not just one that will take advantage. I'm so sorry that you've lost them and I hope this thread helps!

 

[JPadronMiami]

so right about how racoons can work things out, clever........we had a family of racoons that learned to find the soft spots under floor boards of metal freight container i was using at the time to store our hay and horse feed, they would literally pop the lids to the aluminum trash bins to eat the feed inside. had to take the trouble to tie down the lids for weeks, and made sure there were no pellet spills on the floor for them to nibble on until they found some where else to go, they stopped coming around eventually, what a mission.. back then didn't have the chickens just the horses, my concern was that they urinate or feces in the feed and make the horses sick.