Heard a definite chicken problem in the night, but it was 2a.m. so decided I'd just be surprised when I woke up. At 2a.m. I did wonder if I had seen the kids precious "Blackie" the day before. She's or shall I say she "was" a little banty type frizzle. My chickens are enclosed in a fence with a coop, walk in type with no door. The all have been roosting in the coop at night. Except Blackie she couldn't get on a roost. Anyway, long story short. This mornings surprise was my rooster (banty) and a large RID dead and half eaten and poor little Blackie's carcass picked clean. The heads were off but still present and the necks on the bigger birds were eaten to bone, the bodies opened up and partially eaten also. No little footprints in the mud (we live in the PNW and its been raining since Oct). I do hear and have seen great horned owls all the time. Also happen upon an occassional racoon. Would a racoon pick a carcass clean in 2 nights? I'm hedging on the owl but don't know enough to say for sure...
An owl would not leave behind much evidence, especially if it was a big one. Most likely a coon. Those things are nasty- they hunt sometimes in groups and kill more than one bird, not always eating it all. They can reach through chicken wire and grab chicken heads to chew off. Check your run and coop for holes big enough for a coon to squeeze into.
Sounds more typical of a coon than a GHO. Bait a live trap with the remains. It will return for more food.
