Lost one just about to lay :(

[Clmirabilio92]

I have two young chickens just about to start laying any day now, just yesterday during the day, around 5:30 pm I found one dead on the ground in the fenced in area. She had little puncture Marks on her, like she got bit by something with fangs, or pointy front teeth.. any ideas on what it could be?? A snake? A weasel? A raccoon during the day? Her whole body was still there, so no head was taken unlike my last one during the night. I am heartbroken but would also like some sort of an idea so that I can protect my other babies! Thank you all.

 

[Chicken-lovebirdchihuahua]

I am an animal lover who knows a good amount about snakes. And all I can say is that I highly doubt it is a snake. Snake fangs aren’t very big and you couldn’t see the puncture wounds through the feathers. Unless of course it was a venomous snake, which in that case the chicken would be very swollen around the puncture wounds. I also doubt it’s a raccoon because they would have eaten the whole body. Maybe I helped you narrow it down a little bit. I don’t know anything about weasels so I can’t say much about them.

 

[aart]

I have two young chickens just about to start laying any day now, just yesterday during the day, around 5:30 pm I found one dead on the ground in the fenced in area. She had little puncture Marks on her, like she got bit by something with fangs, or pointy front teeth.. any ideas on what it could be?? A snake? A weasel? A raccoon during the day? Her whole body was still there, so no head was taken unlike my last one during the night. I am heartbroken but would also like some sort of an idea so that I can protect my other babies! Thank you all.

You may have interrupted it's 'meal'.
Was the one killed at night inside the coop...or in the "fenced in area"?
Doesn't really matter what did it....you need to close up the fenced in area.
Does the "fenced in area" have a meshed roof?

 

[cmom]

If you have a game camera, put it up because most likely the predator will be back and you will know what you're dealing with but in the mean time secure the rest of your flock.

 

[Clmirabilio92]

The one at night happened inside the cool when I forgot to shut the door this one happened during the early evening, around 530, I've never had one attacked that early before. They free range so they are always in the yard somewhere. What concerns me is they like to hang out right next to the fence, so it could be likely something jumped it.. I didnt see any dig marks underneath from anything

You may have interrupted it's 'meal'.
Was the one killed at night inside the coop...or in the "fenced in area"?
Doesn't really matter what did it....you need to close up the fenced in area.
Does the "fenced in area" have a meshed roof?

 

[Clmirabilio92]

I can run one of those cameras all day too? It happened early evening when I was going to clean their area up for the night. Since the attack at night, I secure everyone in their areas by a certain time. Everything seems to be going fine at night, but now an early evening attack just seems so weird to me

If you have a game camera, put it up because most likely the predator will be back and you will know what you're dealing with but in the mean time secure the rest of you flock.

 

[Clmirabilio92]

I think my ducks might have scared whatever it was. They scare hawks and stuff off.

You may have interrupted it's 'meal'.
Was the one killed at night inside the coop...or in the "fenced in area"?
Doesn't really matter what did it....you need to close up the fenced in area.
Does the "fenced in area" have a meshed roof?

 

[cmom]

I can run one of those cameras all day too? It happened early evening when I was going to clean their area up for the night. Since the attack at night, I secure everyone in their areas by a certain time. Everything seems to be going fine at night, but now an early evening attack just seems so weird to me

Yes you can set them to go on and off at certain times or just leave them on.

 

[cmom]

Here we have mostly coyotes and hardly a night goes by when I don't see any. A coyote behind some of my coops.

 

[cmom]

This was early one morning. I cropped the picture.