Ninja assassin attacking my hens ...

[Jhaerlyn]

I've lost a rooster and now a hen ... I have no idea what did it ... but it can climb trees, becuase I saw its eyes glittering down at me on the night of the first attack. I got home later than usual and handn't locked up the chickens. I'd never worried about it, because it'd done so before and never had a problem ...

Anyway, those eyes reflecting the light of my flashlight that first night is all I've seen of him. I've tried even raking the sandy earth around the coop to see if I get some tracks ... nothing ...

Last night, getting home 'from grandma's' for thanksgiving, when I went to close up the coop, one of the hens was spooked and the other missing. I kept looking around and around. Finally, found her outside the pen, panting, but it's wounds on its back and thigh were so bad, I knew it wouldn't live.

I've never purposely killed any animal before -- (roaches and ants don't count) but I got a string to help me do the job as quickly and as painlessly as I could.

Now I got a poor hen who's been crying out all morning, i'm guessing looking for its friend

I don't see tracks and I saw nothing last night, no eyes or anything.

Any ideas on what it could be?

Also, any idea why I feel sick and angry, since i think its either a 'possum or a 'coon --- but had it been a coyote or fox, i'd be ok with it? ... i'm struggling with that ... heck, I would have preferred that my resident owl would have done it, but then the owl wouldn't have left the chicken alive like that ....

 

[Jhaerlyn]

I guess I should rephrase that last question -- How accurate is my guess? Should I be looking for a different culprit?

And what is effective against oppossum, if that's what it is?

 

[The Lazy L]

Owl?

"And what is effective against oppossum, if that's what it is?" A 22 caliber pistol

 

[bobbi-j]

If something came into the coop, I would say you're right on with possum or coon. I wouldn't put it past an owl to go into your coop, but I don't know if you'd get to see his eyes glittering in the tree. I think he'd fly away as soon as you shined the flashlight at him. I agree with Lazy L - a .22 would be effective against a coon or possum. I'm not sure why it bothers you more to think about killing a coon or possum than a coyote or fox. Maybe because they look so darn cute in the pictures? If you'd like to erase that image from your mind, put out a live-trap to catch the critter first. There is nothing "cute" about a full-grown opossum, hissing and baring its teeth at you, or a snarling, barking, growling, teeth-baring raccoon. They can be downright vicious.

 

[CluckyCharms]

It could very well be a fox, too...they climb trees and hang out in them as well. Gray foxes are much more inclined to treeclimb than your average red fox, but it still happens.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/712091/fox-in-tree

 

[Jhaerlyn]

oh i didn't mean which was harder to kill.... I meant, I'd rather hav a coyote or owl eat my chickens ... it wouldn't bug me at all and I'd just chock it up to ensuring we have wildlife ... But, I guess since oppossum and racoons can live off garbage the way other things can't, i guess... *shrug*

 

[Jhaerlyn]

Thanks All of you for your Posts I'll have to see how I scrounge up some way of getting rid of that thing--- I guess I'll try traps first ... Don't want to miss and accidenly hit the neighbor's trailor

 

[cbenson6820]

opossums dont normally bother chickens so i'd say its more likely a coon. You are going to hear shoot it with a .22 or trap it. I've never EEEVVVEEERRRR been able to get a coon to go into a live trap but then again my girlfriends dad is a trapper and he catches coons in live traps so i guess i just have smart coons. .22 works nicely though and if you dont have one you can pick up a used one for cheap. I prefer my smith and wesson AR.-15 .22 with a 30 round magazine.

 

[Dynahoe Dave]

I don't know if a possum would go after a live chicken. But they do go after chicken [pieces] left as bait. I've been trying to get the fox that took 2 hens & a rooster. Now that the possums are no longer stealing the bait, I have a better chance at getting the fox.

 

[chestypuller]

you could tie some meat to the pin on a hand grenade and let the problem solve itself.