Thoughts on what got to one chicken?

[aart]

True, but raccoons tend to kill for sport and tear open the hen.

No wild animal kills for 'sport'...they kill to eat...
many may kill multiple animals in a killing 'frenzy' if the opportunity presents itself, like in a flock if chickens,
then carry them off one by one to cache for later or their pack mates

And the fact the head was gone. (Guess he was trying to be nice last night and say it was "pretty much gone" to soften the details)

I'm betting owl..I believe they are head removers.

 

[birdwrangler057]

I would have suspected an owl as well, but they are strictly nocturnal hunters and would have only taken the head, not scrambled the body.

 

[Lelilamom]

Did your predator come back last night? Where is your pine tree in relation to your house? Do you have neighbors, dogs, activity that would deter a ground predator like a raccoon?

We had the same exact thing happen just today. It's extremely strange - I could have written your post myself - except I found the chicken this morning under our oak tree.

I'm guessing she'd been taken yesterday, but the description of the kill is almost the same. My hen still had her head, but her neck and crop had been removed. Only her windpipe and backbone remained. She was inside our fenced in yard - which means nothing really. Its not designed to keep predators out, only chickens in. But I'm positive she was killed yesterday because all the hens knew she was there. Once I let them out of the coop, they ran straight for her.

Our oak tree is right next to a chain link fence that separates our dogs (and our house) from our chickens. Our dogs bark pretty much all day (Beagles, you know) so I'm not inclined to think Raccoon. I was thinking Hawk or Owl.

What area are you in and what kind of predators do you have?

 

[birdwrangler057]

I know animals killing for "sport" sounds crazy, but just recently my friend had a raccoon get into the coop and kill three quarters of his flock, not one bite was taken out of them.

 

[birdwrangler057]

Did your predator come back last night?  Where is your pine tree in relation to your house?  Do you have neighbors, dogs, activity that would deter a ground predator like a raccoon?  

We had the same exact thing happen just today.  It's extremely strange - I could have written your post myself - except I found the chicken this morning under our oak tree.  

I'm guessing she'd been taken yesterday, but the description of the kill is almost the same.  My hen still had her head, but her neck and crop had been removed.  Only her windpipe and backbone remained.  She was inside our fenced in yard - which means nothing really.  Its not designed to keep predators out, only chickens in.  But I'm positive she was killed yesterday because all the hens knew she was there. Once I let them out of the coop, they ran straight for her.

Our oak tree is right next to a chain link fence that separates our dogs (and our house) from our chickens.  Our dogs bark pretty much all day (Beagles, you know) so I'm not inclined to think Raccoon.  I was thinking Hawk or Owl.

What area are you in and what kind of predators do you have?

That was for sure a raccoon or dog, both animals will get hold of the chicken's neck and just tear it apart.

 

[Lelilamom]

I know animals killing for "sport" sounds crazy, but just recently my friend had a raccoon get into the coop and kill three quarters of his flock, not one bite was taken out of them.

Is he sure it was a raccoon? Weasels will kill a chicken just to suck their blood. Disgusting! But they won't eat any part of the chicken.

 

[birdwrangler057]

That is true, but I can't give any information on weasels because they do not inhabit were I live. Sorry

 

[Lelilamom]

That was for sure a raccoon or dog, both animals will get hold of the chicken's neck and just tear it apart.

My beagles got a hold of three of my chickens last year. They quietly sat down in the yard and munched away - lucking, I saved all three hens and they're alive and thriving today. But I've heard of German Shepherds tearing chickens apart. Don't Raccoons usually carry their kills away?

 

[birdwrangler057]

Not always, but it could have been an opossum, they are known to take a small chunk out of a hen, dead or alive. My friends hen actually had a chunk taken out of its thigh and lived.