Hen killed by something

[jclausen]

Yes that all sounds like good advice.
Thanks you all for the reply’s.

Got to say I have lost a lot of chickens over time to predation and I've never been left with just a head. In truth (not to be gross) but the head usually seems like the tastiest part to the predators. Owls, Hawks, Raccoons basically anything that can't carry the body away eats the head. Anything that can carry the body away takes the whole body and leaves a pile of feathers. This is an extremely awkward kill... the only thing I can think naturally is maybe a coyote or a fox or something that carries the body off and just when it did the kill it severed the head while biting the neck and then took off. Honestly, I would almost have to question if this isn't a human kill.

at is horrible but might be.
We have a7 foot privacy fence and gate locked . That is not easy to do.

Best and worst change it all to hardware cloth add a motion camera as your predator
will be back they know you have more chicken for them and that would suck leaving the head may have been an owl

 

[Henanigan]

We live in Lewisville TX and deal with Cayotes and raccoons Rodents on a daily basis. Please put hardware cloth in between screwed in wood slats for your coop. And motion sensor lights. $29 for 4. At Amazon

 

[cmom]

I have put up motion sensor light and the predators got used to them and would set them off and not seem bothered by them. I have electric wire around my coops and pens, heavy duty netting covering my pens and concrete under the pen gates, all because of losses from predators in the past. I have had some breaches but they were in some netting because my pens are 200' x 60' and my netting is 200' x 50' so I had a 10' gap between the other netting and the coops so I bought some cheap netting 150' x 14' to fill the gap but it came apart in some places. I fixed it but it came apart in another place. I replaced the sections that were breached but am planning on buying some better netting for the gap. My original netting has been up for around 10 years and is still in great condition. It's made of knotted cord, heavy duty. The other netting I bought for the gap wasn't what I thought it was and is easily torn so I'm planning on replacing it with better netting. I also have cameras up in different places on my property and see predators most nights when they roam here on at least one of the cameras. Here is a good camera for under $35. that takes good day and nighttime pictures. The only drawback is that it takes the tiny micro SD card. Most likely your predator has been around and will be back.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CGMQRWP/?tag=backy-20
Here is a picture of a coyote. The light in the background where the coyote is, is another camera.

 

[sorce]

I'd guess what left the head was scared by something bigger.

Sorce

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Maybe a human doing a quick/unclean cut to the head and taking it right off? Sorry for your loss.

 

[Badger359]

Any signs of predetor tracks, hair, scratches around coop or run?