I'm so devastated this morning.I went into the pen and found the new show winning rooster dead that I JUST bought on Sunday.
My first thought was that he got wet and died or the girls pecked him to death, but upon further inspection it looks like a raccoon. There were no tunnels under the cage, and the rooster's chest was broken open and part of him eaten. I'm thinking he climbed the metal fence and went through a weak spot in the fence or under the tarp cover. (Which is our old coop, while we are building the new one.)
I'm sooo upset. He didn't get anyone but him, which makes me happy in a way but mortified that I didn't have the guy for a week and this happens! We haven't even seen a raccoon on our property!!!! My labrador would have freaked out if she had seen a raccoon as she sees them as a threat to her food.
We have a new coop halfway built. My husband is upset and just came home early to try and finish the new coop. He's threatening to camp out there tonight and shoot whatever the intruder is.
We feel like such horrible chicken parents right now.
Edited to say:
After reading this: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-4/Gail_Damerow.html it looks like it may have been a 'possum. (Head was left, only killed one and ate him right there.)
Edited, Oct 10: It's the next day and the sucker came back! Luckily we had a trap waiting for him. The chicken eater has been killed. Will set the trap again tonight, just in case there are more!
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