Night Attack

Last night between 11:00pm and 6am we lost 2 mallard ducks and 3 chickens, 2 silkies and a large white cochan. The cochan was plum gone but had a lot of feathers pulled. The other birds were only decapitated with the heads missing. We have a large, over an acre, with a 6 foot block wall all the way around. There are tracks, dog or coyote about 4 foot off the ground going up the wall and a couple of white feathers on top of the wall. Nothing but desert behind us and I have never seen a stray dog. We have a pair of resident Great Horned Owls that I'm sure accounted for the headless birds but does it seem likely that a coyote and Owl would both attack the same night and would the large owl be capable of carrying off the big hen.

 

Thanks, I will try a trail camera and see what happens. I keep the birds locked up almost everynight but let the ducks stay out last night and payed the price. I've had trouble with the owls before but this is a first for the coyotes. I wouldn't have believed they would make it over a six foot wall either if I hadn't have seen their paw prints on the inside of the wall.

 

Thanks for the responses. One thing that puzzles me is when you butcher a chicken or bird there is a substantial amount of bleeding. These birds that were decapitated did not bleed. Was it because they were already killed before the head was removed.