Stumped by a predator. Help!

[MarkLeavenworth]

I've seen this happen far too often where I'm from originally in very rural Ohio. Walmart and other superstore especially love to pop up and level out fields, wooded areas, etc that normally support wildlife. Then before you know it you're reading in the paper about a deer slamming though a plate glass window or a coyote wandering into a store. It is terrble. These predators are just trying to survive and eat as they're getting pushed out of their habitats. I just wish it wasn't my sweet, defenseless girls they were enjoying for dinner:'-(

I've seen this go both ways. In the short term, nature gets displaced, then in the longer term nature comes back. You all back east and in the south have centuries of development. The population is much more dense than out here but so are the trees and creatures. When a building goes in, you get displacement.

Out here in the west, we had major and massive development over the past fifty years. Now the pace has slowed the past couple of decades and we've seen the return of Blue Heron flocks which haven't been seen for a century, Elk in areas where they haven't existed for a century, great white sharks, humpback whales over-wintering, wolves, and the expansion of Bobcat territory. My cousin in a Los Angeles development which practically destroyed all life in an entire canyon during the 70's has seen the return of the California Condor, two species of bear, cougars, horned lizards and bobcats, among others.

Another creature expanding its territory in recent decades: the backyard chicken!

 

[christwodog]

She was locked in her coop for the night. Whatever it was dug underneath the coop and got her inside. We're going to borrow a game camera from my parents since so many folks have suggested it and still try setting a trap. We don't want to buy anymore hens only to put them in danger so we've got to figure this out. Thanks for the reply! We're thinking a coon is probably a likely suspect. Do you think they would come out during theday though? That's what's making me question racoons and possums since the first one was killed mid day. I suppose it could have been two different predators though.

A few months ago, my husband eliminated six raccoons during the middle of the day, they were sniffing around the coop, which was wide open because the chickens were free ranging. Luckily, my rooster, Kono, had everyone herded on the front porch so they were pretty far from the coop. My husband heard chicken chatter outside the front door, so when he investigated that's when he saw all the raccoons around the coop. So raccoons are 24/7 predators!

 

[Leighe]

A few months ago, my husband eliminated six raccoons during the middle of the day, they were sniffing around the coop, which was wide open because the chickens were free ranging. Luckily, my rooster, Kono, had everyone herded on the front porch so they were pretty far from the coop. My husband heard chicken chatter outside the front door, so when he investigated that's when he saw all the raccoons around the coop. So raccoons are 24/7 predators!

I agree raccoons can be seen during the day but that is NOT the norm. 6 raccoons means either a family or a bunch of males looking for food. If you've ever raised raccoons you know they are not daytime animals, lol....like having a hamster on the treadmill all night. You lose a lot of sleep but gosh darn they are cute. However, when you have chickens you realize wild raccoons are not cute. They are crafty and smart, they will tear up your garden cabinet, knock over your garden pots, poop on your lawnmower and jetski seats, strangle your dog.....they are definitely not 24/7 predators unless there is hunger or disease. They sleep during the day normally and thrive at night. In no way criticizing you, but just wanted it clarified. There are certain animals, that if you see them during daylight hours (early day or afternoon) there is something wrong with that picture. For our farm it means the same thing no matter what.....they are shot or trapped and shot. We do not release into the wild because most likely there is disease or rabies, also we don't want to add to the already bulging population.

 

[christwodog]

In my case, this was a family, but the younger ones were not little babies - teenagers, I guess. I know they are mainly nocturnal, but this family incident, plus having seen the obvious sickly raccoons during the day, I simply meant there is always the possibility of raccoon presence, for whatever reason.

 

[NanaKat]

Your daytime kill was probably a hawk and the night time kills could be possum, raccoon or skunk. Coyotes will usually hunt in a pack, but a single male will scout and mark territory with scat. All 4 will dig.
I have had issues with raccoons this year worse than in years past. I use a nighttime game camera to identify the predator and the direction of access.
The coon come at night, scales the chain link fences, kills one or two by pulling heads and gutting. One boar actually opened the lid to the nest box on one coop by opening the latch and killed 4 only eating on one bird. Another squeezed into a completely chain link pen and pulled a rooster back out the same small gap where the panels met.
One coon actually ripped open the end of a live trap to escape.
My camera caught more than the snap traps and live traps. The camera gives a time stamp. Sitting watch with a loaded 22 on the hour gap around those times is worth the effort.

 

[MINDANAO DAVE]

Your daytime kill was probably a hawk and the night time kills could be possum, raccoon or skunk. Coyotes will usually hunt in a pack, but a single male will scout and mark territory with scat. All 4 will dig.
I have had issues with raccoons this year worse than in years past. I use a nighttime game camera to identify the predator and the direction of access.
The coon come at night, scales the chain link fences, kills one or two by pulling heads and gutting. One boar actually opened the lid to the nest box on one coop by opening the latch and killed 4 only eating on one bird. Another squeezed into a completely chain link pen and pulled a rooster back out the same small gap where the panels met.
One coon actually ripped open the end of a live trap to escape.
My camera caught more than the snap traps and live traps. The camera gives a time stamp. Sitting watch with a loaded 22 on the hour gap around those times is worth the effort.

We just expanded our a chicken run for our 4 back yard city chickens. We had never had a single problem with predators before. We live in Louisville, KY in the middle of the city. I grew up on a farm and raised tons and tons of free range chickens and like to think I know how to keep them safe. We lost the first one mid day. She was ripped up and it looked very much like a hawk or something similar got her. That same night we lost 2 more girls. One was in the coop, head eaten totally off, and the other got out and was just cornered in the run and shredded like the chicken earlier that day. Yesterday we did some extra heavy duty predator proofing and even put a new and sturdier top covering over the run. We locked her in her coop to roost overnight and breathed a sigh of relief finally thinking she'd finally be safe and we could bring home a few friends for her this weekend. Wrong! There's no sign of where the animal broke the fencing or the covering on top but it somehow something got in. It then dug underneath the coop and shredded her inside the coop again.

We're setting a trap tonight to see if we can catch whatever's been doing this. But does anyone have any ideas of what we could be facing here? It's happened day time and night time. One with a head totally off, the rest all opened up with the innards eaten. (Sorry to be graphic but I feel like it's relevant.)

You can put a baby monitor in the area and you should hear the chickens if something is inside.

 

[Leighe]

Your daytime kill was probably a hawk and the night time kills could be possum, raccoon or skunk. Coyotes will usually hunt in a pack, but a single male will scout and mark territory with scat. All 4 will dig.
I have had issues with raccoons this year worse than in years past. I use a nighttime game camera to identify the predator and the direction of access.
The coon come at night, scales the chain link fences, kills one or two by pulling heads and gutting. One boar actually opened the lid to the nest box on one coop by opening the latch and killed 4 only eating on one bird. Another squeezed into a completely chain link pen and pulled a rooster back out the same small gap where the panels met.
One coon actually ripped open the end of a live trap to escape.
My camera caught more than the snap traps and live traps. The camera gives a time stamp. Sitting watch with a loaded 22 on the hour gap around those times is worth the effort.

Oh.My.Word. We're twins! I do the same thing. I look at the game camera and watch and see what's roaming. Most times they come back around the same time each night and at some point I am out there with my 22 just waiting. Even if I don't get the kill, they now know I'm out there waiting......I want a thermal cam to see the heat source comin, lol.

 

[Leaguinea]

She was locked in her coop for the night. Whatever it was dug underneath the coop and got her inside. We're going to borrow a game camera from my parents since so many folks have suggested it and still try setting a trap. We don't want to buy anymore hens only to put them in danger so we've got to figure this out. Thanks for the reply! We're thinking a coon is probably a likely suspect. Do you think they would come out during theday though? That's what's making me question racoons and possums since the first one was killed mid day. I suppose it could have been two different predators though.

We live in Ontario and several times I have been in the yard or barn during the day and had coons wander through.
I think it depends on how hungry they are.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

We just expanded our a chicken run for our 4 back yard city chickens. We had never had a single problem with predators before. We live in Louisville, KY in the middle of the city. I grew up on a farm and raised tons and tons of free range chickens and like to think I know how to keep them safe. ....

In most cases a rural area is safer for chickens than an urban or suburban area is. There is too little information to make a good guess about what is killing your chickens. Predators gravitate to a food source and urban or suburban environments are rich in food sources. Rural areas, not so much.

 

[ducksrgreat]

my bet is coons lost 7 ducks last year. 1 a night till I finally stayed up and waited to see who was eating my ducks.