Something pulled off my chicken's head!

[prescottchicken]

Raccoon?
We have a coop with a 30" (i think) high brick wall. The upper part of the coop was welded wire. I found my hen headless next to the wall with evidence of a struggle and the wire was bent. So: something reached in and pulled her head off! So sad. So I put up hardware cloth and they now have a fortress. We live in town but on 1.5 acres of brush and have a lot of wildlife. I had been letting my chickens out during the day but two of them were eaten by coyotes. So now they are stuck in the run

. I have 2 questions:
1. Do you all think it was a raccoon or could something else have done it?
2. Is there a way to let the girls out while keeping them somewhat safe?
We live in Prescott AZ, high desert btw

Thanks

 

[WindStep]

??
Build a sterdy coop run! were they can come out in.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Most likely a raccoon. They can climb anything, very nimble and as strong as a bear.

You could consider electric fencing for ground predators and poultry netting for hawks. A rooster can protect from some daytime predators or a good LG dog.

 

[WindStep]

At ChickenCanoe good idea all but the dog.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

True. The dog would have to be trained from an early age and from a livestock guard breed.
Or the OP could build a larger pen for the chickens and keep the dog on the outside.