Poultry Predator Identification

[tsisqua]

So sorry - you must be devastated!!

 

[Bantu]

I have had several chickens disappear over the past year as mine free range. But she was in the run and couldn't get in the coop in time. I had a dog coming into the yard so I kept them in the run to protect them. She might have been able to get away if I had let them out.

 

[mjhoward1]

Thanks for a great article. I am on a mission to protect my little flock. I found a chicken completely gutted and another running around in the front yard. She was terrified.

 

[oldhen2345]

I have had one chick- Mae- she was the runt so to speak- about half the size of her siblings. About dusk, I heard a commotion in the yard- the dogs were going crazy, but I glanced out and didn't see anything amiss. In the morning, I found the carcass of my little Mae about 150 ft from the coop - against the wire fence. The only thing left was the head and wings. What could have done that? An owl would have eaten the head. There is a 6 ft. privacy fence around my whole yard and a 4 ft. pig wire fence between the "dog yard" and the "chicken yard". I frequently hear owls- but an owl would have eaten the head. The chickens are generally safe- they go inside the coop at night (there is a hardwire enclosed run) - I watch them at dusk to make sure we don't have a repeat of Mae.
There is a trio of owls that visit- usually about once a month, lately, nightly. I think they are after my little dogs as much as the chickens- there are 3 between 7 and 10 lbs. each. It worries me, and I have lock the doggie door when I hear the owls. The other day, they stayed in the trees after daylight - I had gone to feed the chickens and open the pop door. I was out there about 10 minutes before they flew away. How can I keep my menagerie safe- what got Mae?

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

What predaroe eats the chickens body and leaves the head?

 

[slordaz]

What predaroe eats the chickens body and leaves the head?

I've seen feral cats and skunks do that, problem I had identifying what took out 9 hens fall before last was the attacks were all different times of days and different carcasses found, we live trapped and moved 6 feral cats and the attacks stopped