something from a horror movie!!!

[pointerfarm1]

First i want to say that the enclosure i had my 12 week old chicks in a 4x4x4 box, wire bottom and top. Door is wood frame about 1foot wide with a fence front about 2foot. Between door and rest of enclosure is maybe an inch gap. If that. This morning i had a missing chick, one with its head clean off. And one that unfortunatly looked like he had gotten caught between door and had his face eaten off. Could see the skull!! We are thinking they fell asleep next to the door. But WHAT could have done this

 

[iwiw60]

First and foremost, I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. With that said, I don't know what part of the country you live in, but predators are just about everywhere. Sounds like a raccoon or fox got in there. Here where I live I have to literally build my coop/run like Fort Knox. I've got them all....raccoon, fox, badger, coyotes, and hawks.

Sounds like your setup was not solid enough to keep critters out. Do you have a pic of your setup so we can see it? Please keep us informed as to how it goes for you...so sorry again!!!

 

[Outpost JWB]

1st, let me say, SO SORRY!!

Sounds like a raccoon, weasel, skunk or mink. They will destroy the prey, but not eat it completely. My friend had a raccoon drag her grown free ranging hen a good distance, but could not get it over their chain link fence. When she found the hen later that day, the body was on one side, the head ripped off on the other. The raccoon was trying to pull the chicken through the fence.
If it is a hawk, it is from personal experience that you will probably find a hawk feather somewhere near.

 

[pointerfarm1]

I am going to try and post a picture sometime during the day. But might be this afternoon. I am located in middle ga. So racoon is very possible. My husband thought it might be a type of weasel

 

[pointerfarm1]

this is the enclosure they were in

 

[iwiw60]

this is the enclosure they were in

I think it was a weasel. See that upper right corner of the pen? It's like pryed outward...think that's where the scoundrel got in maybe (??) You'll need to beef up that enclosure and give them a "floor"...drafts at night can chill chicks real fast...JMHO

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I had a similar experience three nights ago. I had 19, 10 week old roosters in a grow out pen that I've used for the past three summers for meat birds. Something killed three roosters, leaving the carcases in the pen. It looked like one had been grabbed by the leg and the leg pulled through and eaten while the poor fellow was alive. A second rooster had both legs and most of its innards eaten and the third was hardly touched. There were marks that I believe were raccoon tracks in the dust on the roof of the shelter. I've reinforced the shelter with hardware cloth and have evidence that the raccoon was back for the following two nights but was unsuccessful. Unfortunately, the experience was horrific enough that the little roosters refuse to go into the shelter at night and I have to search around the run to find them and put them inside. My layer hens in the adjoining run haven't layed an egg since the incident and I think they were stressed too. Poor chickens. It makes me feel ill.

 

[pointerfarm1]

We caught the raccoon last night!!!! We are going to set it out again tonight just to see if he had a partner in crime. Thank the lord

 

[iwiw60]

We caught the raccoon last night!!!! We are going to set it out again tonight just to see if he had a partner in crime. Thank the lord

Woo-HOO!!!

Great news!

 

[pointerfarm1]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your input and advice.