Someone opened the gate to my backyard and to my hen yard. The type of locks were predator proof-only human hands could undo the locks. 4 of my dogs were missing when I went outside to check on them after they had been out for about 15-20 minutes. Fortunately, I rounded up all 4 dogs... All my hens are dead. The lock was gone and the gate pushed in.....I could tell whatever had killed them all had come into the hen yard and into the coop. My pen was so predator proof...made accessible only at the hands of a human. No hens were inside the hen yard...all were found dead in my side yard. Most with their heads gone. What animal predator only takes the heads? I can't believe I would have a neighbor so cruel....
Racoons are EXTREMELY clever and have hands that can open most locks, even keyed ones with the key left in......and they almost always bite heads off. So sorry for your loss.
Ive raised raccoons when I did wildlife rehab...you are so right about about them being clever. However, the locking system I had on the gate was difficult even for me to open and required two hands to open. Both the backyard gate and the chicken gate could only (99% sure) have been opened by a human. One of the hens was eaten...her breast on one side. The rest where just beheaded and the two bb red OEG hens were just dead. I found all bodies within a 15 ft range...its like they were taken out one at a time. Glad my dogs weren't killed. I had no idea anything had happened to the hens until I started searching for the dogs. I did think maybe my dogs were responsible...but I could tell the hens had been dead for awhile.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. Glad you were able to get your dogs back, but how horrible to have your hens all gone. It's horrible to think that someone went into your yard through two locked gates and then were irresponsible enough to leave them open. Hopefully it was someone who just wanted to visit, but not do harm and just forgot the gates. I've had people get out of their cars, walk through my field to go visit my goats. Luckily no gates have ever been opened, but I'm always watchful for the first time. I'm hesitant to think your dogs did this. I don't know about yours, but if more than two of my dogs are together, the become a 'pack.' I would imagine that if it were your dogs there would have been more damage to the hens than just their heads taken off. Dogs like to shake things they catch; maybe leaving puncture wounds and probably a lot of feathers strewn about.
If we are saying that humans are the worst predator of all I have to agree. Sorry to hear that you had such an awful experience, Sandie
So sorry for your loss and I have to agree with you it sounds like a person. Were there feathers all over the place where the birds were found? - were the bodies bloody all over or just where they were beheaded? I doubt a raccoon is going to come into a yard that 4 dogs live, and undo their gate with them outside, thats a person- more importantly a person who knew the dogs weren't something to worry about (i.e. not aggressive) .... It is likely one of the dogs ate part of the eaten chicken after it was dead - but a dog doesn't behead critters - only raccoons tend to do that to a flock. File a police report that someone tresspassed on your property and killed your birds - this is not something to be let go. If they did this to that many chickens - whos to say they won't do it to the next flock of birds, or your dogs? Do you live in the city or country? Either way - set up a motion light and a game camera by your coop this way anything that moves nearby sets off the light and gets snap shot - so you can see who's the culprit animal or human and hopefully if its human you can get a face shot so you can indentify. Good luck. so sorry.
I live in the country but its a developed area of 1 to 5 acres each lot. The two areas are separate...the backyard is fenced for the dogs...the side yard is fenced for the hens...there is open yard of about 25 - 30 feet between the two areas. The side gate (there are two gates to the backyard) had the carabiner removed and the gate was standing open....it has a spring latch - you have to push down on the latch & hold it to open the gate....its a two hand job. The gate to chicken yard had the lock removed (its gone) and the bungie ties are gone too (it was overkill, but I know I have coyotes, foxes, oppossums and raccoons). I had tightened the gate bolts so that the gate was not easy to open....I mean when I took their food and water to the hens, I had to set everything down, undo all the bungie ties, remove the lock and needed the gate to remain closed (not swing open) while I gathered up everything and then I would use my knee to push the gate open and my butt to close the gate. It was a quite a production, but I took every warning seriously and made the entire pen predator proof and hard to get into. The gate looked kicked opened. Just had that look. You know gut feelings are usually right. The dogs that were out of the backyard are weenies...not saying they didn't check out the dead hens but I've tried to feed them raw before and they were like "ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww". Anyway I could tell the hens had been dead for awhile- too much insect activity and the meat had started getting a little of that dried look...plus I would have heard a commotion if it had been my dogs. I had the hens for a long time...several for almost 2 years. The pullets were only 4 mths old. These were all gentle souls. I'm know which neighbor did it...I just don't have any proof.
