Identifing mystery predator *GRAPHIC PHOTOS*

[StardustChicken]

Maybe not a coon now looking at this what do you think.

Hmm...after studying the footprints a bit more they appear to be from an opossum: the fingers are too short to be a raccoon

 

[Weeg]

I set up 2 traps with raw chicken in them, neither worked. I found my favorite chick, Pumpkin (ISA brown), dead: her head chewed clean off. I'll try some rat poison outside the coop tonight?

NO! DO not use poison! It will only harm wildlife that eats the dead animal, or if your cats go and eat the dead animal it will harm them! Please do not use POISON!

 

[Weeg]

Get these! They are fantastic and work great for my coop! They scar eat predator away with out doing it any harm! https://www.amazon.com/Univerayo-De...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== Theses are the one I bought, but there are more if you look it up on Amazon. Theses had ether best reviews and work great for me!

 

[Weeg]

You can also put predator pee suck as Cyotoe or wolf around your property. Those are both common predators of Raccoons, and will scare them off if they smell it. https://www.amazon.com/PredatorPee-...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== Depending on what predators yo have that would be a threat to coons and possums in your area, predator pee is a great way to go, as gross as it sounds.

 

[ryder lake]

I had 19 chicks, various breeds (silkie, buff laced polish, dominique, gold laced wyandotte, rhode island red): 15 of them 4 weeks, the other 4 between 5-6½ weeks (leghorn, ISA brown, 2 midnight majesty maran). This morning I found 2 of my 4 week silkies dead and one of my dominiques was missing entirely (same age). The strange thing is one of silkies only had a bit of blood on its head, but the other had half of its body missing (nowhere to be found in the coop run).

All of these chicks have been growing up together. About a week ago the elder chicks began to bully and food guard, although this behavior was curved with speration via the elder chicks being put in a chicken wire cage in the coop run while the younger age group ran around for a couple of hours (the younger group being put in brooders when the older ones were released again). About 2 or 3 days ago they were allowed to mingle together (no speration) and the elders were no longer displaying the negative behavior, from what I could tell from spending hours with them.

The chicks died between 10pm-8am. The larger silkie was stiff, but rigamortis had yet to set in the smaller runt silkie. I think the larger silkie might have been killed by the leghorn chick, but perhaps a particularly hungry squirrel got to the other 2 chicks. All of the smaller chicks were promptly put in the brooder for protection.

I just need help nailing down the predator responsible so I can take the proper precautions. Pictured below are the deceased silkies and one of my other dominique chicks for comparison.

chickens dont usually kill other chickens, mixing adult roosters that have never been together, can turn into an ugly battle, sometimes to the death of one, but as you described, those chicks being the age they are i dont believe they would kill each other, is your coop predator proof? is the top covered? is the parimeter protected from digging underneath? any access points unprotected? it looks like from one of your photos, a chicken had its head seperated or bit or torn off?? if this is correct, a coon is quite typical of doing this or a weasel, possibly a rat, if the chickens are quite young, ive had chickens for years and ive exsperienced all types of predators, but i dont believe chickens that age would kill each other. I believe you have a predator problem, and the best defence is keeping them out of your coop.

 

[StardustChicken]

Caught an opossum last night, he was relocated a little over 5 miles away to a wooded area

 

[Weeg]

Caught an opossum last night, he was relocated a little over 5 miles away to a wooded area

Nice catch! Bravo! you should get the predator repellent lights, they will keep him, and any other predators away for good!

 

[Rooster G]

Caught an opossum last night, he was relocated a little over 5 miles away to a wooded area

You are so kind. I would have relocated it underground. Nice catch: get another one.

 

[CluckerFamily]

You can also put predator pee suck as Cyotoe or wolf around your property. Those are both common predators of Raccoons, and will scare them off if they smell it. https://www.amazon.com/PredatorPee-...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== Depending on what predators yo have that would be a threat to coons and possums in your area, predator pee is a great way to go, as gross as it sounds.

If you have a dog, you can have them pee around your yard's perimeter.

 

[ryder lake]

Nice catch! Bravo! you should get the predator repellent lights, they will keep him, and any other predators away for good!

Possums are quite docile and there not very bright, they usually live off small rodents, bugs, eggs ect. i dont believe there a real predator of chickens, a good size rooster would probably scare it off. There really not bright at all. Coons are the real culprits. I usually have 2-3 good size roosters in a coup, youd be surprised how defensive they can be, i had one actually attack me, i was carrying a plastic feed bucket, later i noticed when it attacked me there was a hole puncture right thru the bucket, just goes to show you, how defensive they can be.