Her head was pulled right off!

[Tinkspirit70]

I am originally from Chesapeake as well, Great bridge area..I miss it!! and Chesapeake Pizza

 

[MikeG]

Thanks all. Its been a week and thankfully no more fatalities. I've been closing up the coop and setting the trap every nite and have caught NOTHING.

I've tried watermelon, bread, marshmallow, peanut butter on cracker (because I had some), and the carcass of our beheaded victim/hen as bait.

Perhaps a smart ol' coon?

 

[Lbrad7]

Quote:
I agree...the dead chicken as bait has worked everytime for me when coons are involved and that sounds like that is what it was.
I hope you catch him!!!

 

[ga_goat]

I have had 10 or 15 done that way ( just the heads gone ) in the last 4 or 5 years , and have never caught anything but a possom
or see any tracks but possom , I've probably caught 20 or more possoms over the last 5 yearsa . Have had some hawk trouble and twice with owls but I managed to run them off by controlling the tops of the posts around the pens and top netting . If you make the hen houses ( coops ) so they can't get in then the varments that prey at nite will loose intrest . The day time ons are harder to get rid of .

 

[chkn]

I'd really suspect a possum frankly. You let us know what you find.

 

[monchickenky]

I have had the same thing happen here in Mesa AZ. It occurred about 20 years ago and was the result of a prowling monkey. Proper action was taken and no more problems UNTIL
I found a headless-bloodless chicken in my chicken lot one morning.
The neighbors found three and two the same week.
Now, just last night a sitting hen was snatched off a nest and was decapitated and discarded three houses North (approx. 700 foot) North.
It neighbor that had the monkey no longer has it, Any suggestions as to what could be doing it and is there any suggestions to prevent recurrence?

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Could be a weasel. I am dealing with a Fishers Cat, a ferocious weasel and it decapitates and doesn't touch any other body parts of a chicken. It also is not interested in a dead chicken in a trap as all it wants is the blood and the head of live ones! A raccoon would come back for the remains...a weasel will look for more live ones to do in.

Hope you find and catch it. Try bloody chicken livers as bait for a weasel...