Mystery Animal Is Eating My Chickens But It Only Bites Off The Head And Leaves the Rest Of The Body

[Josue Hernandez]

What type of animal bites the head off a chicken and leaves the rest of the body?

These past two weeks have been rough, three of my chickens got killed, but only their heads were bit off and the rest of the body was ok. I really want to know what type of animal it is so I can try to capture it. All I know is that the animal is small, because I found a hole on the back of the coop and it's small enough for a rat to fit it in it, but I don't think it's a rat, I don't think a rat can really bite a head of a chicken. I live in Sacramento, CA and I don't really know of any wild animals around here. Any answer can help, but please try to tell me how I can probably stop it from coming back again.​

 

[MillersFarm]

I had two of my show quality roos killed with their head severed. Their body and head was un-touched. So i set out a whole bunch of traps and caught 7 raccoons. A whole family in just a week. What i learned was if its very dry and there isnt a supply of water near-by, raccoons will kill and lick/drink the blood of what they killed and leave the rest behind... I'd start setting traps right away and lock up your chickens in a safe place, They are going to come back ever night or every other night.

 

[Josue Hernandez]

I'll see what I can do but I hope it's not a raccoon, I'm kind of scared of them and thank you for replying.

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

It's probably a raccoon. I don't want to be graphic, but I have heard that they will reach through chicken wire and grab the chicken's head or anything else that can reach and then pull.
So sorry about your chickens!

 

[Folly's place]

I had three nice bantam pullets killed that way last winter, in the coop at night, by a rat. Heads off, eggs also were being eaten. Weasels would be possible, but they tend to kill many or most birds in the flock. Fix your coop issues, and set live traps, and kill whatever 'varmits' you catch. Good luck!
Rats won't trap, only poison will do the trick. Make sure it's done safely. Mary

 

[centrarchid]

Show picture of a carcass and area around it. Next it happens a again, either leave carcass in place or use it to bait a trap. Are you certain an animal is not able to fly in?

I would make assumptions as to what wildlife are not present.

 

[Josue Hernandez]

Yeah, I'm certain an animal can't fly in.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Take and post photos of your coop and run - while you identified one point of entry that you feel is being used, there may well be more that you are not realizing pose a hazard. Also, don't assume the size of animal based on the size of hole - many folks underestimate the size of an animal that can pass through a given space....showing a photo of the area in question will allow us to see what you are seeing and offer our own assessment as to potential culprit(s).

 

[beati]

What type of animal bites the head off a chicken and leaves the rest of the body?

These past two weeks have been rough, three of my chickens got killed, but only their heads were bit off and the rest of the body was ok. I really want to know what type of animal it is so I can try to capture it. All I know is that the animal is small, because I found a hole on the back of the coop and it's small enough for a rat to fit it in it, but I don't think it's a rat, I don't think a rat can really bite a head of a chicken. I live in Sacramento, CA and I don't really know of any wild animals around here. Any answer can help, but please try to tell me how I can probably stop it from coming back again.​

 

[beati]

I have many a chicken killed by foxes:/ here is a picture of the guy I found in coop
With my headless chicken.
I thought the girl was safe in the coop, but the fox dug a hole and let himself in.
It’s a if they do it just because they can.