Murder Mystery :(

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

Thanks! Her crop wasn't missing. Nothing taken just injuries.

Hmmmm... If it was a weasel she would be missing her head. I would set a few different sized box traps. nd set up a game cam.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I feel like most wild predators would eat their kill, or at least part of it. My guess would be a cat. I have watched cats kill and then not eat animals. They don't have to eat the animal because they get food at home.

 

[Vickischics]

I'm sorry to read about your poor Hen.
Either way, it's, sad. Hope you can figure out what did it. Check the barn Cat for any roughed up areas on him.
If he's not friendly, trap him. Perhaps he can give you some clues. Blood on its face or something. Sorry to read about your hen.

 

[HeadHen88]

Updates: Thanks for your help and kind words everyone! We caught this potential suspect last night. I read that skunks stalk prey. The claw marks would make sense. It is possible we or something else spooked it before it had time to consume anything. Also, time of death would have been earlier than initially thought as rigor mortis (which takes 3-6 hours) had set in by the time we discovered her at 10pm.

 

[HeadHen88]

I feel like most wild predators would eat their kill, or at least part of it. My guess would be a cat. I have watched cats kill and then not eat animals. They don't have to eat the animal because they get food at home.

Possible! But given the depth of that huge claw mark, and with our neighbours cat being a little one, we have ruled her out for the most part.

 

[FloorCandy]

Possible! But given the depth of that huge claw mark, and with our neighbours cat being a little one, we have ruled her out for the most part.

A relatively small stray cat killed my neighbors 2 roosters simultaneously and didn’t eat them. He just “played” with them until they took enough damage to die, then left. They found them dead in the morning, it had plenty of time to eat them if it had wanted to.

 

[Vickischics]

Updates: Thanks for your help and kind words everyone! We caught this potential suspect last night. I read that skunks stalk prey. The claw marks would make sense. It is possible we or something else spooked it before it had time to consume anything. Also, time of death would have been earlier than initially thought as rigor mortis (which takes 3-6 hours) had set in by the time we discovered her at 10pm.

Ok, Question??
How are you going to get close enough to that cage to put him out of your misery for killing your poor chicken? Even, if hes not guilty, he is trapped?? Eeeeak!!!

 

[cmom]

I dug a very deep hole. Hubby let it out of the trap and I shot it and it went into a hole on the back side of our property and I immediately buried it. Once they release their stink, it's several hours before they can squirt again. Hubby did cover the trap. I'm a good shot.

 

[cmom]

Game cameras are nice to have then you know what is lurking and electric wire around, in my case coops and nice large pens. I have had too many losses over the years in the past to predators. Once a predator makes contact with the electric wire they don't test it again.

 

[Vickischics]

I dug a very deep hole. Hubby let it out of the trap and I shot it and it went into a hole on the back side of our property and I immediately buried it. Once they release their stink, it's several hours before they can squirt again. Hubby did cover the trap. I'm a good shot.

You go girl!!!