This might sound really strange and weird, but something is getting into my chicken coop and eating the butt out of my chickens! We have set many traps but "it" keeps setting them off and taken whats inside of them. I has happened for a few nights now in a row. Has anyone else have this kind of problem, and if so please give me some suggestions on what it could be!
Fix that coop so nothing can get in! What kind of traps are you setting...live traps? Can you tell where 'it' is getting in the coop? Fixing the coop so nothing can get in is your first priority, then worry about catching whatever 'it' is. Check for holes, cracks, tunnels, rotten boards, any place where something could squeeze in. Once your chickens are safe then you can try different methods to catch/kill what ever is getting your chickens. If you don't find and fix the entry point, soon you wont have chickens to protect! Good luck!
The main post in here describes what to expect with different predators and it sounds like you might have something in the weasel family. That's a tough one to keep out because they can fit into the tiniest spaces. Good luck!
The other thing that could be happening besides on outside predator getting in, is that the troublemaker is already in the coop... cannibal chicken(s). Eaten out vents is classic cannibal chicken. Does the trauma happen during the day or night? If at night, it is not another chicken. Cannibal chickens happen usually when there is one or more of the following- inadequate nutrition/food, inadequate space, or inadequate things to do (boredom). Can you describe your set up? Square feet per bird, how many birds, diet ect...
I would get a baby monitor and pull an all-nighter! If you think your coop is tight then you have to get the crafty bugger. Do you close coop all the way or have an enclosed pen? We had weasels getting through fairly small wire when I was a kid.
Dogs usually eat the backend out of chickens when they chase them and grab them from behind. Just a thought! Could be anything but I do know that dogs chase chickens and get them to run and then grab them in the seat. Is it eating them or just killing them. Dogs don't usually eat them, just kill them.
I agree, minks and weasels. If it looks like picking instead of gouging out the vent then maybe birds.