Strange losses to a predator

[Chicken Heel]

I was at our local post office this morning picking up some chicks from Greenfire Farms and the lady that works there told me that she had lost her four hens and a rooster to an unknown predator this week. She then showed me photos of the crime scene. There were three birds inside the coop and two that were covered in dirt just outside the coop. According to her, all five birds were left intact with no obvious signs of wounds and no feather loss. She was at a loss for words because whatever it was had torn off her roughly 4' by 2' egg collection door from its hinges and gained access to the coop there. Based on my review of all her photos, I could see no other damage to the coop. Since she lives adjacent to a river my first thought was a mink since all the birds were killed. And it would take a strong animal to rip the door off the side of the coop from its hinges. Has anyone had a similar experience(s)? Thanks for any input that you may have.

 

[Ridgerunner]

With the mention of Greenfire Farms I'll assume you are in North America, probably the USA. Not all predators act like they are supposed to act, but they usually have certain traits. A mink should leave bite marks on the head, should be quite bloody. A bobcat often buries its prey but it should have eaten part of it or maybe carried it further away from the coop. to eat it. They might kill by breaking the neck but should leave puncture marks on the body with their claws. A dog could kill them without leaving a mark but should not try to hide it by burying it. I have trouble imagining a bear wouldn't have done more damage.
Perhaps it was frightened away before it was finished. I obviously don't know but if I had to guess I'd say dog, mainly because of no marks. But I have no confidence in that guess.

 

[JedJackson]

My first thought was that it might have been a crazy person, but I agree that whatever did it could have been frightened away before eating anything, and that is why the scene of the crime was so strange. Raccoons are smart and very strong, so I wouldn't rule them out.

 

[Chicken Heel]

With the mention of Greenfire Farms I'll assume you are in North America, probably the USA. Not all predators act like they are supposed to act, but they usually have certain traits. A mink should leave bite marks on the head, should be quite bloody. A bobcat often buries its prey but it should have eaten part of it or maybe carried it further away from the coop. to eat it. They might kill by breaking the neck but should leave puncture marks on the body with their claws. A dog could kill them without leaving a mark but should not try to hide it by burying it. I have trouble imagining a bear wouldn't have done more damage.
Perhaps it was frightened away before it was finished. I obviously don't know but if I had to guess I'd say dog, mainly because of no marks. But I have no confidence in that guess.

We live along the central VA/NC border. I also thought about a bobcat with the two hens being buried. Would a cougar do something similar? The local VA/NC game folks say they are not present here but plenty of people in our area have seen them on wildlife cameras over the past few years. And a cougar would definitely be strong enough to rip the door off its hinges.

 

[JedJackson]

We live along the central VA/NC border. I also thought about a bobcat with the two hens being buried. Would a cougar do something similar? The local VA/NC game folks say they are not present here but plenty of people in our area have seen them on wildlife cameras over the past few years. And a cougar would definitely be strong enough to rip the door off its hinges.

Cats generally leave lots of feathers behind when killing chickens. It's a possibility though.

 

[Chicken Heel]

Cats generally leave lots of feathers behind when killing chickens. It's a possibility though.

Yeah... like I stated this is one of the strangest loss of chickens that I have heard about in my almost 55 years of keeping them.

 

[McChooky]

Predators big enough to yank a door off its hinges would probably just be a bear depending on how well it was built.There would be claw and bite marks on the door if it was ripped off.
Chickens will freeze when terrified which would explain why none lost their feathers.

 

[Chicken Heel]

Predators big enough to yank a door off its hinges would probably just be a bear depending on how well it was built.There would be claw and bite marks on the door if it was ripped off.
Chickens will freeze when terrified which would explain why none lost their feathers.

Sounds plausible. I'll let her know to check the door for claw and bite marks. By the way, the door was located about four feet off the ground which makes a bear even more likely as the culprit. Maybe the two hens that were found buried outside the coop didn't freeze up but came through the opening and the bear got them.

 

[McChooky]

My guess is they had a heart attack.I know I would.If she decides to get more chickens she needs to put an electric fence around it .Something as simple as those used by bee keepers should work fine.The bear was most likely after the feed.They like it better.

 

[McChooky]

Probably a young bear .