After reading the pedator post (very heplful BTW) I'm pretty sure I have an owl problem. It would appear the owl is entering the coop through the chicken door and eating about 15 feet away from the coop in the same spot, picking the carcass clean. I find about 4 a week over the past month. I'm not 100% sure it is an owl. Would a light in the coop on over night scare off whatever it is? It worked years ago when I had a weasel problem.
Always at night. Not all the chicken roost in the coop at night. some in the rafters of the pole barn, some in trees, some in the pony shelter. They are free range and some are pretty wild. I have a security yard light and I could turn on the flood lights on the barn. I've never found carcasses picked clean like this before. Whatever it is, is new to me. I've lived here with chickens for 12 years. I got a llama and 2 mini donks to keep out the fox and coyotes. I think they chase off racoons too.
Two ideas - first off, build a secure pen around the side of the coop where the door is. Then build/renovate a door that can be locked from the inside or a slot door, if you can't do that - consider using something big and heavy to block that door! You didn't mention what kind of coop door you use, we can get more specific if you let us know. I always like pens in front of the doors, because even if they can get in the pen to get to the door, they don't always make their way out of the pen! Then you've got them! Good luck!
Close the chicken door each night. As long as the buffet is open, the owl or any other predator will help themselves.
I had a barred owl get into my pigeon coop last year. It went in through the trap door and couldn't get out. I had to start putting a piece of wood over the trap so it couldn't get in. Click below to see the video. I released the owl - they had babies in the woods - I could hear them at night.
A buddy of mine would use a live trap to catch owls. They will land on the ground and hop into the trap. He would relocate them quickly.
