Ok, so on January 14th this year (at around 6 P.M.), I found 4 of my Bantam hens missing. These hens like to roost up on the porch, since the other hens will not let them in the coop to sleep. I looked all around, including an area of the backyard overgrown with jasmine. After a little bit, I went back out to look again in the jasmine (which I had thoroughly searched beforehand), finding the body of one of my little Barred Plymouth Rock Bantam hens without her head or any of her insides. It seems whatever creature that did this opened her chest cavity (breast and keel). No blood. Legs and wings attached. Vent region was left alone. I also found fresh saliva around her body. The body was not there when I first searched the jasmine.
The three other hens that went missing were a Buff Brahma Bantam, an Easter Egger Bantam, and a Mille Fleur. I have not yet found these hens. Every night since then, I have been locking all my chickens in the coop at night, which they do not enjoy very much; they would rather leave the coop at 5 A.M. than to wait for me to let them out at 9:30 in the morning.
Yesterday morning, I found scat littered around the coop. The droppings looked like it came from rats, but it may be something else, of course.
I have briefly researched what this predator might be, and I believe that it may be a raccoon or opossum.
As of today, I have constructed a trap for the predator, which uses a string to hold the door open. Once the string is severed (by the animal's teeth; I am going to attach bait to the string), the cage door loses its support, bungee cords close the door and keeps it closed.
After my research, I ruled out dogs, weasels, mink, raptors, snakes, and bobcats as this predator (yet it may be any of those).
My reasons for posting this thread? I would like to know what this predator may be, how I can prevent other losses of my chickens, what to bait my trap with, and how to improve/remake my trap.
Location: Austin, Texas.
The three other hens that went missing were a Buff Brahma Bantam, an Easter Egger Bantam, and a Mille Fleur. I have not yet found these hens. Every night since then, I have been locking all my chickens in the coop at night, which they do not enjoy very much; they would rather leave the coop at 5 A.M. than to wait for me to let them out at 9:30 in the morning.
Yesterday morning, I found scat littered around the coop. The droppings looked like it came from rats, but it may be something else, of course.
I have briefly researched what this predator might be, and I believe that it may be a raccoon or opossum.
As of today, I have constructed a trap for the predator, which uses a string to hold the door open. Once the string is severed (by the animal's teeth; I am going to attach bait to the string), the cage door loses its support, bungee cords close the door and keeps it closed.
After my research, I ruled out dogs, weasels, mink, raptors, snakes, and bobcats as this predator (yet it may be any of those).
My reasons for posting this thread? I would like to know what this predator may be, how I can prevent other losses of my chickens, what to bait my trap with, and how to improve/remake my trap.
Location: Austin, Texas.
