Help with Predator ID

[NikAndHerChicks]

Hello Everyone! I am very new to BYC. I've been a happy chicken owner for a brief year and a half now, and we lost our first hen to a predator. Let me tell you all that we have an abundance of predators, and we free range our birds. I know that could possibly be a recipe for disaster, but they absolutely hate being confined to their run, and we have a lot of natural "hiding places" in our yard for them to take shelter in. We used to let them out of their run & enclose them in a much larger dog run, but they just kept flying out to forage in the rest of the yard, so we finally gave in and let them... now I'm second guessing our decision. Now on to the story:

It was a beautiful fall day here in Michigan. The Maple trees have started turning brilliant shades of red and orange and there is a crisp chill in the air. The evening wanes, and the light starts to give way to dusk. Nik tells her adorable 9 and 12 year old boys that it's now time to lock the girls (chicks, not their little sisters ) in their secure coop for the night. Ten minutes later she goes to check on them (because, well, they're boys, and get easily distracted). Her 2 guys inform her that one of the hens is missing. Her 9 year old has tears in his eyes, because he had been begging her for 2 years for a "Disco Chicken" and Snowflake quickly became his absolute favorite bird! Fast forward through 45 minutes of frantically searching the woods in the now pitch black with a flashlight... coyotes howling in the distance... with 4 kids!! The 3 and 4 year-olds tripping over every root, vine, and tree stump in sight, laughing hysterically at the fun new game Mommy has invented called "The Search for Snowflake." We finally find her, and I promptly send my 9 year old in with his 2 sisters, and my 12 year old and I inspect the carnage. Poor Snowflake was under a thick clump of underbrush, under a large apple tree that was further sheltered by a HUGE pine tree. Her neck and head were still attached, however all of the flesh was removed all the way down to her breast bone (including the crop). Snowflake was a 7 month old Silkie.

The possible suspects: we currently have in our area coyotes, raccoons, opossums, weasels, skunks, fox, hawks, bald eagles, and lets not forget the domesticated German Shepherds that have been in my yard twice now (but have never shown an interest in my flock), and my neighbors feral cat (that I have actually been ok with because it eats mice, but am now looking at in a new light since the "Snowflake Incident").

The time frame: Snowflake was last seen at 10:00-ish A.M. She is usually a late morning layer, and her egg was in the nesting box. She was not in attendance at the early afternoon Black Oil Sunflower Seed snack call, around 1:00 ish, but the rest of the flock did not look rattled, so I am assuming (you know what they say about ASSuming, though...) she may have been ok then. The boys went out to put them up for the night at about 5:30 P.M. and she was missing. Her body was not completely stiff when we found her and the small amount of blood present did not look really old so I was guessing it was fairly recent. Then again I am not a CSI expert (despite all of the TV shows I have seen!)

Any suggestions?

 

[Windus]

Sounds like a raccoon. They are notorious for eating the crop and leaving the rest. Dogs usually just kill them and lose interest, they don't usually eat the bird. Cats would do the same most likely.

 

[RonP]

Sorry for your loss, many on this list will feel your pain.

Could be one of several predators you listed. From your description and list, raccoons, opossums, weasels, skunks, all fit the bill.

My main concern is that whatever found a new food source will most likely be back for more, sooner than later...

 

[CntryBoy777]

Given your description, I would say a fox or coon. It certainly wasn't a bird of prey or a coyote with the body being under the brush as ya describe, it was something else that was hiding from the coyotes while it ate.....both fox and coon grab muscle or meat and pull when they eat and usually don't eat bones. If it were a coyote they would have devoured chunks meat and bones, but wouldn't look to hide to eat...especially since others were heard...they would've shared. I lean more towards a fox, but a coon is a possibility.
Sorry for your loss and maybe closing them up about 4:30 would help....we live in the south and put the birds in their yard at 4pm to avoid the early evening predators, and the chickens peck scratch grain before they put themselves to roost....I close them up when I am out putting the ducks up about 30-45mins later.
Hope ya are able to thin some of the hoards down some.

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

Thank you all for your replies. I was leaning towards a raccoon too, but wasn't sure how early they come out in the evening. If we see one out at night my husband has been known to Robin Hood them right out of the trees. We may live out in the country, but I was raised in the city & was taught that taking your shotgun out in your front yard was frowned upon... I'm still not used to it (slowly getting a little better with it), but for some reason a bow doesn't bother me so much!!

We have a few neighbors that have chickens also, so I was aware of the predator issues in the area, but it still is unnerving when they strike your own flock. My poor neighbor lost their entire flock of 24 three week old pullets in one night to a raccoon last year. The same neighbor has lost 8 more this year so far!

Sorry for your loss, many on this list will feel your pain.

Could be one of several predators you listed. From your description and list, raccoons, opossums, weasels, skunks, all fit the bill.

My main concern is that whatever found a new food source will most likely be back for more, sooner than later...

This was my concern too, so the girls have been confined to their run, with the exception of while I was out doing yard work, and my husband went out and bought some live traps.

Given your description, I would say a fox or coon. It certainly wasn't a bird of prey or a coyote with the body being under the brush as ya describe, it was something else that was hiding from the coyotes while it ate.....both fox and coon grab muscle or meat and pull when they eat and usually don't eat bones. If it were a coyote they would have devoured chunks meat and bones, but wouldn't look to hide to eat...especially since others were heard...they would've shared. I lean more towards a fox, but a coon is a possibility.
Sorry for your loss and maybe closing them up about 4:30 would help....we live in the south and put the birds in their yard at 4pm to avoid the early evening predators, and the chickens peck scratch grain before they put themselves to roost....I close them up when I am out putting the ducks up about 30-45mins later.
Hope ya are able to thin some of the hoards down some.

We put them in at 4:30 today. They weren't happy! But now I have to shore up their run a little. Most of them came running as soon as they saw me head out to the run with the Black Oil Sunflower seeds, but one Easter Egger decided she would rather hide under the coop. My son was trying to shoo her out with the bristle part of a broom & somehow managed to fall into the side of the run & happened to find a weak spot & poked a hole right in the hardware cloth!! It's about a 2" hole! Glad he found it, though. Now I know where to strengthen the run!

 

[Stayc]

Sorry for your loss

 

[CntryBoy777]

I usually use a 22, but however ya get em is fine with me....I never was that good with a bow and would stick too many arrows into the tree and lose them cause our oaks here are 50-60' tall and the lowest limbs are above 20' because that is the limit of our longest ladder.... @NikAndHerChicks

 

[avocadogrove]

This is my first ever posting to BYC and we too are sadly dealing with an unknown predator. We have half grown chicks in a large fenced in area and over the course of a week or so have lost a chick every other day during the day. These chicks are over one pound. In the same fenced area are 4 adult chickens who seem to be able to fend for themselves. The chicks are white so they don't hide well. The evidence is always the same: head and guts gone and rest of bird intact. Wondering what predator is???? We constantly try free ranging, however, have resorted to keeping the chicks totally enclosed for some days so as to provide them some safety. We then let them out into the large fenced area and come back to find another one missing Thanks in advance for any insights/suggestions!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Racoons love the head! Predators will come day or night when they find a good food source. Sounds like you need a secure run.

This is my first ever posting to BYC and we too are sadly dealing with an unknown predator. We have half grown chicks in a large fenced in area and over the course of a week or so have lost a chick every other day during the day. These chicks are over one pound. In the same fenced area are 4 adult chickens who seem to be able to fend for themselves. The chicks are white so they don't hide well. The evidence is always the same: head and guts gone and rest of bird intact. Wondering what predator is???? We constantly try free ranging, however, have resorted to keeping the chicks totally enclosed for some days so as to provide them some safety. We then let them out into the large fenced area and come back to find another one missing Thanks in advance for any insights/suggestions!

 

[CntryBoy777]

This is my first ever posting to BYC and we too are sadly dealing with an unknown predator. We have half grown chicks in a large fenced in area and over the course of a week or so have lost a chick every other day during the day. These chicks are over one pound. In the same fenced area are 4 adult chickens who seem to be able to fend for themselves. The chicks are white so they don't hide well. The evidence is always the same: head and guts gone and rest of bird intact. Wondering what predator is???? We constantly try free ranging, however, have resorted to keeping the chicks totally enclosed for some days so as to provide them some safety. We then let them out into the large fenced area and come back to find another one missing Thanks in advance for any insights/suggestions!

Welcome from NW Mississippi!!....
Sorry for your losses and hope things get better for ya.
It sounds more like a possum to me....if it were a coon there would be more dead at a time. A possum can hide and sleep in very small spaces and the size of your birds are the ideal size for them. They can climb and rest in trees or on the ground at the base of trees or even under any building within your fenced area. They can be active at any time during the day, but are more active thru the night hours, but have seen them out from 10am-4pm, too. They also are a scavenger for the most part and with your description it would fit as to the targeted portions of the bird that was eaten....the timing of the kills also fits....a coon would devastate the flock in just a couple of days. Sure hope ya can get the critter. I have even seen them hiding inside the roots of a really big oak tree.