What Animal Did This?

[Reyvaughn]

I am posting for a friend...

Sometime this morning or last night something killed one of her chickens and injured another. The one that died didn't have any seriously noticeable wounds. She said her hen was pretty stiff and not easy to check over, but there was no blood or anything to seem like it was a raccoon, possum or weasel/mink.

The one that is still alive has these wounds...


"its like all the white soft skin on top is gone and all that is left is that yellowish fatty type skin underneath"





She said the eggs were smashed and eaten as well.
Since the wounds were made by something that seemed not to know how to kill a chicken, I had thought maybe a feral cat at first - before I was told about the eggs. She did confirm she has 2 very young wild kittens in the barn she just found today. But the eggs... Rat? I really don't know and it's driving me nuts not knowing. So, I thought maybe someone could help.

*This is not the first time her eggs have been crushed and eaten.

 

[Silkie Nut]

Snake maybe? The only other thing I can think of is a rat or preadatory bird

 

[FOWLEDPEAS]

I am thinking a snake, too. I have had rat snakes kill half-grown guineas and two grown ducks and they were just laying there without any apparent injuries. Dumb snakes think they can swallow a bird they 'catch', but then strangle the ones they cannot. The other bird's injury might have been from getting away from the snake or fighting it. Not sure about the eggs.

 

[Silkie Nut]

Thats probably whats happening to the eggs too. Snakes have been known to go into the coop and steal eggs.

 

[chickencoop789]

I think it was a raccoon. A raccoon can do damage like that. There would have been more damage if it was something like a fox. I dont think it was a snake because it wouldnt have crushed the eggs. It would have swallowed them whole. Raccoons eat eggs and will often try to eat a chicken and if he cant get one, he will eat the eggs. Raccoons cant eat a whole egg so it has to crush it to get to the good part. Thats why I think It s a raccoon. The one chicken most likely got away and then died. If a raccoon killed it it would have taken it with it. To me, all signs point to a raccoon.

 

[arcy liger]

as i know a cat may have done it but the eggs for rats. snake eat eggs without crushing it and vomit shells out after digestion. sorry about the loss. keep a check into the coop at all time

 

[Reyvaughn]

Yeah, we ruled out the snake because of the eggs being crushed for the same reason mentioned - they eat the egg whole. I ruled out raccoons, possums and mink/weasel because they roost on the ground and since the one was dead and the other injured, whatever killed the one I don't think could actually eat the bird. A raccoon wouldn't have killed one, left it whole and moved on to another, right? I may be wrong, though.

Well, whatever it was, hopefully it doesn't come back. My friend said she forgot to close the pop door and that's how whatever it was got in. The eggs, as I said, is not a new occurrence. I did think it was odd that the eggs were crushed and eaten and the birds were attacked. She said that has never happened before.