What attacks like this? Graphic pic

[Feathers Acres]

I had this happen with my ducks!, right out of my chain-link kennel, the door was closed and the dog couldnt get in and the only way anything could get in is either climbing in and climbing back out with them or dive in and take them out (like a hawk, but very unlikely because they did it to all my ducks, all 4) some had there heads bit off and others no sign of injure like they got beat to death and had internal injures. But before this all happened my first flock (coop burned down, have new flock now) had gotten out of the coop and I was going threw the woods to get them back in, one got picked up by a hawk and it bit its head right off and dropped it not to far from me.


The only thing I can fit it with is hawk

 

[AnthonyT]

That would be one heck of a weasel to eat the head, back and breast out of a chicken. Weasel attacks are mainly aimed at the head and neck, not much meat usually missing. Dogs tend to maul and leave the body. Coons can cause some serious damage and will eat quite a bit, so can possums. They look slow and dumb but they are great bird predators with a bottomless pit for a stomach. Birds of prey usually leave some feathers around from where they plucked the bird, guts from eviscerating it and they will eat quite a bit. Just because it ate it there does not rule out a wild critter. If nothing is bothering it, why waste energy dragging the kill off to eat? Animals like to save energy just like people do. When I did duck research in ND we had little cards we carried around that had all of the diff predator kill and nest predation characteristics on them. You could tell what ate the eggs or killed the hen with 90%+ certainty. Of course when you walk up on a badger mauling a hen mallard it is pretty self explanatory!

 

[comerrick]

It was from 2-4 pm and it did have feathers everywhere around.
Lov
Liv

 

[silkiechicken]

During the day, and the bird looks plucked. I say pred from the sky like a hawk.

Coons will kill and take the bodies with them. Possums usually end up eating their entrails, while weasals often just eat the head. It's the hawk that came down to kill my silkies, plucked their necks and chests bald, for me to find three bites taken from the chest, the neck picked clean and head half gone.

 

[comerrick]

Sounds like a hawk to me too. I have seen them in the vicinity.
Lov
Liv

 

[mypicklebird]

I have had hawks do that same pattern. We have red tails and sharp shinned around here, neither is large enough to fly away with the hen, but plenty big enough to kill it and eat the meat off of what ever site is facing up. The remaining chickens (ugh) will often pick at what is left, which can obscure what the predator did. Putting up netting over the areas the chickens frequent will help prevent hawk attacks, as well as having a good rooster around to spot and warn the hens (if you can have roosters...) If you know the attack happened during the day, it pretty much rules out raccoon, opossum & skunk. Opossums and skunks are more scavengers than predators anyway.
Jess

 

[chickenfanatic]

coon or skunk is my vote both are known to do just that.

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
Muskrats are vegetarians.

 

[horsejody]

I would guess coon or possum. I have seen them out during the day.

 

[verycherry]

I brought my cat out to the farm to catch the voles and moles in my garden and rats out by the barn. She did a super good job of that, but then she got brave and started catching rabbits, both little ones and big ones, out of the field. I didn't want her to do that, so I tried to keep her inside, but she'd get past the kids so I had to just take her back to town.

Anyway, she always ate the heads and upper body only. Never ate past that on any of her kills. Sure makes me think that it could have been a cat that killed your chicken, especially in the burbs with a 6 ft fence to get over.