Something stole our eggs and a head

[ElfenLied89]

My broody hen was murdered last night. She was sitting on about 7 or 8 eggs. She was missing her head and neck, and all of her eggs are gone. What kind of predator can do that? And it tried to get into the brooder and now all my baby chicks and 3 guineas have figured out they can escape and they are wandering the yard (they are about 7 weeks old).

So what can do something like that? The brooder has hardware cloth too. Stapled to wood on the inside. Broody hen was in a nesting box inside the run/coop area.

For those of you who followed along with my hatches or know me from posting. The broody in question was none other than Dolly Parton. I have included a photo of Dolly in her nesting box. For those that don't know her, she was a naked neck silkie mix. She hatched on my son's birthday. He wanted her to be his and so she was. He adored her.

RIP Dolly Parton. You will be missed.

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

My broody hen was murdered last night. She was sitting on about 7 or 8 eggs. She was missing her head and neck, and all of her eggs are gone. What kind of predator can do that? And it tried to get into the brooder and now all my baby chicks and 3 guineas have figured out they can escape and they are wandering the yard (they are about 7 weeks old).

So what can do something like that? The brooder has hardware cloth too. Stapled to wood on the inside. Broody hen was in a nesting box inside the run/coop area.

For those of you who followed along with my hatches or know me from posting. The broody in question was none other than Dolly Parton. I have included a photo of Dolly in her nesting box. For those that don't know her, she was a naked neck silkie mix. She hatched on my son's birthday. He wanted her to be his and so she was. He adored her.

RIP Dolly Parton. You will be missed.

Sounds like a large raccoon, they usually steal eggs and rip heads and necks off. I’d set some large live traps and either release it far away or put it down

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Raccoons will decapitate a chicken. What kind of fencing does your run have?

 

[ElfenLied89]

Raccoons will decapitate a chicken. What kind of fencing does your run have?

Chicken wire. But it has an open front not back. We also have 5 ducks and 2 goats which should have helped to deter predators. They've never been bothered before.

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Chicken wire. But it has an open front not back. We also have 5 ducks and 2 goats which should have helped to deter predators. They've never been bothered before.

Racoons will tear through ducks and will go after younger goats, it probably ignored your adult goat and if it was near the other chickens and ducks is probably the only reason they are still alive

 

[ElfenLied89]

Racoons will tear through ducks and will go after younger goats, it probably ignored your adult goat and if it was near the other chickens and ducks is probably the only reason they are still alive

Atropos is a broody hen who is brooding next door to where Dolly was. She wasn't bothered. Makes me wonder what happened. And my camera outside quit working so of course I have no video. Uuuggghhh.

 

[muddy75]

I agree it sounds like a raccoon….it will be back

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Atropos is a broody hen who is brooding next door to where Dolly was. She wasn't bothered. Makes me wonder what happened. And my camera outside quit working so of course I have no video. Uuuggghhh.

Either didn’t notice or only took what it was hungry enough to eat

 

[ElfenLied89]

@TwoCrows @fluffycrow @WoDia @Chive @

Either didn’t notice or only took what it was hungry enough to eat

And raccoons also take eggs? Or was that something else too?

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

@TwoCrows @fluffycrow @WoDia @Chive @

And raccoons also take eggs? Or was that something else too?

Yes they take eggs