Something killed.....

[Mr.Dad]

Our rooster and one hen....

I found them about an hr ago...

I saw the rooster outside this morning....it had been raining hard so i figured they hunkered down in the coop the rest of the morning......

When i only saw one hen this afternoon when the sun came out I went out to check on them....

I found the rooster pulled under my deck but stuck halfway with his neck chewed on...I found the other hen in the coop with her head missing......

There are stray cats around more and more....and they are sometimes under my deck....

Does this sound like something a cat would do?

I'm not looking forward to my daughter coming home from school today

 

[Napalongtail]

No that sounds like an opposum or a racoon. Maybe even a skunk. Go get a trap and you shall see for sure. But no chicken is safe on your place till you catch the critter guarenteed!! They often hide under decks etc.

 

[HenHappy]

Oh Mr.Dad I'm so sorry. Yeah I'd saya cat could do it. You never know though what it could have been. We even have this wierd thing called Fishers here that eat cats! I sympathise with your loss.

 

[kingsdaughter]

My book says if the heads and crops are eaten it is most likely a raccoon.

An owl will also eat the heads and neck, however it is unlikely that it would go under your deck

 

[kingsdaughter]

Here is a link about predators.

http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/poultrypredators.pdf

 

[chickchair]

Awww...I'm so sorry Mr. Dad..... I agree, sounds like a coon or an opossum. The outside guess would be a weasle or mink, but they all could fit the description...
It hurts to lose them....Big hug.....[[[[[Mr. Dad]]]]]

Get a "hav-a-heart" live trap, bait it with a can of cat food, and see what you catch
Sometimes local animal control can rent these to you.....

 

[TheBigWRanch]

I've had a huge problem with raccoons for years, and they always eat everything except the head and feet. I've never seen one eat a head.

 

[Mr.Dad]

Thanks.....

What a roller coaster ride....here/there....bushes/cold.....

I haven't seen anything around (predator wise, but it has warmed up) and they made it on their own for what had to be two months total.....in below zero temps.....then we finally push to make them ours and they get killed......

I should have built a real coop.....the whole thing was bad timing.......

My daughter took it very hard, my son did as well, and I was pretty attatched myself

.....

We have one left and she seems pretty depressed....

I still have to figure out what I'm going to do with her tonight.....

 

[jimnjay]

OH NO!!! Mr Dad that is just horrible. After all you have been through with your chickens and now this. Poor little hen. Do you have one of those Cat Carriers or a cages of some kind that you can put the hen in at night for awhile? I got a medium sized one at Dollar General for around $ 15.00. That may be a solution for the short term. I agree with the others. Your predator, no matter what type will be back. I am so sorry you had to go through this so soon after getting your little flock.

 

[CarriBrown]

I'm sorry to hear about your chickens! Trap whatever did that before you replace them because it will be back again for a free meal.