What beheads a chicken in broad daylight?

[sBrickmanHouse]

Hi all,

Our hens (and one rooster) roam a fenced acre (6 foot high privacy fence) during the day, and are locked in a secure coop at night.

I went out the other day and found one of our barred rock hens laying in the middle of the yard, completely beheaded, in the middle of the day. No sign of her head, and no other apparent damage to her body.

We live on the edge of a wildlife preserve in the MidAtlantic, so we do have a variety of predators, but what would be likely to have done such a thing?

 

[jforsness]

omg, so sorry to hear if this. Coyotes maybe?

 

[silkiechicken]

Cyotes probably would have taken the body.

Classic missing head only is a weasel. If there is a pile of feathers around the body, and neck picked clean, then bird of prey.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Sounds like a weasel to me. Like silkiechicken said a coyote, would most likely taken the whole thing.

 

[jab91864]

Quote:
I agree completely !!

Hopefully it doesn't come back for another......

Julie

 

[jvls1942]

I would say hawk or owl.. yes they do .. Owls will hunt in the day time.
I have witnessed it.

a weasel or of the weasel family is possible. mink etc...

coyote, fox, racoon, skunk, dog, Not likely... wrong MO..

rat usually eats more than just the head..

a cat ?? not a bobcat or lynx..

look for tracks..

.......jiminwisc.........

 

[one cool chick]

we had either a hawk or an owl take one of ours. And our friend saw an owl take a head off in broad daylight.

 

[silentrunning]

We lost several Silkies and R.I. Reds to having just the head eaten. One day I went out and found an oppossum dining on one of our birds. He was eating the head. It was his last meal. I don't know if you have them where you live, but they do go for the heads.

Doug

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I find it hard to believe that a possum eats just the heads.
the one you saw might not have even killed the chicken..

 

[silentrunning]

Anything is possible, but we did have several de-headed birds. My thinking was that if something else would have killed the bird it would have eaten it himself and not left it. I'm sure that if the oppossum would have had time he would have eaten the entire bird since they are scavengers and will eat just about anything. I also didn't have any more dead birds after that. (Untill something big came and carried my ducks away!)

Doug