My Pullet Was MURDERED !!

[Capvin]

Sorry, but it was a racoon and you will now lose the rest unless you cover the run and get rid of the chicken wire.

 

[dainerra]

honestly, raccoons (and all predators) like to get a meal with as little work as possible. If the hen was near the fence, he would have grabbed her easily. If a noise or light scared him, then he would have just took off with what he had. He could have also merely been "taste testing".

the problem is that now the coon knows where a quick and tasty dinner can be found.

Meat-eating squirrels aren't very common. Usually limited to when they are starving. My great-grandparents have owned chickens since 1900 (yes, he was born in 1892) and have NEVER had a squirrel eat a chicken. He did say that he had found them nibbling on dead birds before, but those were scrap pieces after butchering. A squirrel might kill a small chick or break some eggs, but they aren't rampaging through your yard with an eye to bite the heads off of chickens.

 

[Fowl_Odor002]

Quote:
Any trap setting ideas?

I see a racoon hat in my future
with matching squirrel belt

 

[suki'smom]

It could have indeed been a squirrel. I caught one in the act of eating the head of my 4 week old black giant pullet. Same scenario, pulled her head through the wire. If they are lacking calcium in their diet herbivores have been known to eat the skulls of other animals, namely birds. I can't remember the name of it but there is an island with a population of deer that break the wings of baby albatross so they can't fly away and eat their heads because there is a lack of calcium on the island. Now as for that fat b*****d of a squirrel that got my pullet, he met my .22 and my foxes.

 

[abluechipstock]

i had a raccoon kill 30 young birds in one night by pulling their heads off through the fence, i was so mad, let's just say the raccoon never came back

 

[lindseythefork]

Definitely a raccoon, and it definitely will be back. Be prepared!

 

[cupman]

Wait, will a squirrel really kill a chicken? I am a bit skeptical I mean they are so small and they seem to eat nuts not meat. I guess it's possible I've just never heard of it before.

 

[Dutchess]

suki'smom :

It could have indeed been a squirrel. I caught one in the act of eating the head of my 4 week old black giant pullet. Same scenario, pulled her head through the wire. If they are lacking calcium in their diet herbivores have been known to eat the skulls of other animals, namely birds. I can't remember the name of it but there is an island with a population of deer that break the wings of baby albatross so they can't fly away and eat their heads because there is a lack of calcium on the island. Now as for that fat b*****d of a squirrel that got my pullet, he met my .22 and my foxes.

Check out this thread, it was very sobering for me! I can't believe squirrels are carnivores!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=553581​

 

[suki'smom]

Check out this thread, it was very sobering for me! I can't believe squirrels are carnivores!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=553581

Thanks so much for that thread! Every time I tell my story people look at me like I'm nuts...it was a squirrel I SWEAR

 

[nzpouter]

Quote:
we feed the feathers to the dogs as well... the only thing they don't eat is the primary feathers...