Losing my chickens

[cmom]

Owls if they can get to the birds will only take the heads.

 

[cherrynberry]

Owls if they can get to the birds will only take the heads.

Really?? I thought an owl attacked my bird, as it seems like the only likely predator....but its not missing the head.

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

I don’t think it an owl

Really?? I thought an owl attacked my bird, as it seems like the only likely predator....but its not missing the head.

because hog wire makes up one side of the run, chicken wire the other 3 sides. In one night it got 2 chickens and tried to drag them through the hog wire. It couldn’t get one through so it ate the head and left the rest. The other it managed to get through the hog wire took the head and left the body. On further inspection of the coop, I found 2 places were something could get through so am currently working on fixing those. Looking at the game camera I saw a couple cats in the coop, not sure if they are the culprit but we have some pretty big male cats.

 

[cherrynberry]

I don’t think it an owl

because hog wire makes up one side of the run, chicken wire the other 3 sides. In one night it got 2 chickens and tried to drag them through the hog wire. It couldn’t get one through so it ate the head and left the rest. The other it managed to get through the hog wire took the head and left the body. On further inspection of the coop, I found 2 places were something could get through so am currently working on fixing those. Looking at the game camera I saw a couple cats in the coop, not sure if they are the culprit but we have some pretty big male cats.

Yeah, I'm not saying yours is an owl, just curious why the person I quoted states that owls only take heads.

 

[klb25]

Something has killed 4 of my chickens over a two week period. It only eats the head and leaves the rest of body intact. I’m leaning towards a possum or raccoon. I’ve set up game camera in coop to try to see what it may be. In the mean time I am removing the chickens from this pen and putting them in other smaller pens to try to protect them. Any ideas?

Raccoons and opossums kill like that in my area. Surprisingly, it's the possums that are particularly relentless.

I'm really sorry about your chickens.

 

[aart]

In one night it got 2 chickens and tried to drag them through the hog wire.

What is the hole size, in inches by inches(or cm by cm), on the hog wire?

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

What is the hole size, in inches by inches(or cm by cm), on the hog wire?

I’ll have to measure but a possum or raccoon could easily get through it.

 

[aart]

I’ll have to measure but a possum or raccoon could easily get through it.

They must be pretty big then, not sure why you thought that would be safe.
It doesn't really matter waht got your birds, just make sure that nothing can get in there, especial at night.
1/2" hardware cloth is usually good, backed with something heavier is better.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Whatever it is will keep coming back until all of your chickens are gone. Best thing to do would be to secure the run and coop with hardware cloth. Do you close the coop door at night? If not then I would start. That way if a predator happens to get into the run it will still have to work to get in the coop also.































I do think either possum or racoon.

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

They must be pretty big then, not sure why you thought that would be safe.
It doesn't really matter waht got your birds, just make sure that nothing can get in there, especial at night.
1/2" hardware cloth is usually good, backed with something heavier is better.

The hog wire was already there. We just didn’t think to put anything smaller over it. Even so a raccoon or possum can climb. I didn’t use to close the coop at night but I do now.