How did this happen?!

[RubiconChicken]

Over Christmas, I lost 7 chickens to a hawk or an owl I am guessing (?) I was out of town and came home to them being gone. Upon return, I found 2 piles of feathers and 1 carcass (but only its head was gone). It seems like they were taken at night because it was a group that always slept next to each other on the lowest roost in the coop.

After that happened, I added a roof of bird netting around my run (which is 8 ft tall and secured with chicken wire). There was no sign of digging or breaking into the coop after the initial 7 chickens were gone.

Now this afternoon, I went to check on my crew and I found one of my chickens completely mangled in the run Again, there is no sign of breaking in and the bird netting is still 100% in place. I am now down to 13 chickens. Could one of the chickens killed this one? I saw one of them nibbling on the dead chicken

I attached a picture because I am at a complete loss as to what caused this or how to prevent it. I have shut the chickens in the coop for the night for their safety.

Thank you!

 

[hayley3]

What's your location and are you near woods? Is your coop closed at night?

 

[sourland]

I think that somehow your predator found a way into the run. I seriously doubt that another chicken was the killer.

 

[RubiconChicken]

What's your location and are you near woods? Is your coop closed at night?

My coop is on the border of some woods. I live in Wisconsin and the run is typically covered by leaves but is more wide open now. I had not been closing the coop at night, I feel I may need to start now. I believe this single chicken was killed by something different than the initial 7.

 

[RubiconChicken]

I think that somehow your predator found a way into the run. I seriously doubt that another chicken was the killer.

Any idea what it might have been? There is snow on the ground and there are no tracks on the outside of the run.

 

[50-45-1]

your chickens may peck and eat a dead bird that something has already killed and eaten off of, but not likely they killed your chicken.
something else got in and killed, how about any small tracks like a weasel or rat would leave. some predators are small enough to fit through that chicken wire you have surrounding your run.
locking the chickens inside your coop at night is safest.
any gaps around the door to your run. do you have barrier around the run dug into the earth. i know you said there was no evidence of this but just wondering for future safety of your flock.
hope you find out what is killing your birds.

 

[aart]

I had not been closing the coop at night, I feel I may need to start now.

Absolutely!

Any idea what it might have been? There is snow on the ground and there are no tracks on the outside of the run.

Could something have climbed down from the trees over head?

 

[Wezdin]

Any predator could climb over a fence, it could have been a number of things, but as long as you have chickens left the predator will be back

 

[cmom]

If you have a game camera, put it up because the predator will be back and then you will know what you're dealing with. I had an owl recently kill some birds. It plowed right through some crappy netting to my surprise. I thought if it seen the netting that would be a deterrent. Boy was I wrong. I put another crappy piece of netting over the netting that was breached. The owl actually went through both layers. I now have a heavy duty piece of netting up that nothing is getting through. I moved the birds to another coop and the owl came back.

It appears to be thinking "where did the chickens go?"

 

[Chickassan]

No head normally is the work of an opossum.
The bird in your photo seems to be a raccoon victim.
Piles of feathers with nothing more i'd say juvenile raptor.
You for sure need to shut your coop at night, your birds are totally helpless in the dark and easily eaten.