What could have done this? (GRAPHIC PICS)

[Cturber]

Hmmm. It will be interesting to see what cameras will show.
Everything is good and normal this morning With the flock. The less injured guy is doing well. The more injured one I have inside is eating scrambled eggs today And still holding his own. I’ll start him on broad spectrum antibiotics today since he made it through the night and wounds are so deep and open. Hopefully he will pull through.

 

[centrarchid]

Ive not seen any Possum around. Do they usually eat feathers and all?
I have seen a stray cat? But my barn cat usually keeps run it off.

Opossums are in your area. They, like raccoons will consume feathers when in a hurry.

 

[Cturber]

So I lost another young cockerel today. It happened in a different part of yard So camera didn’t catch. I am now thinking it might be a feral cat. So clues are as above, but this time Lots of feathers. It looks like kill happened in back corner of yard. When I came home from work today, the girls were all very upset and in the coop. I found the chick in the yard near a fence. But there was a trail of feathers leading back to kill site. I am thinking something came over fence and couldn’t carry him over the fence to get away. So happening in daylight. Not digging under fence. Only going after smaller (8 week). Again a young cockerel.

i Have confined the remaining 7 chicks into the coop. My adults don't seem to be targeted. So 2 questions....
1. Confine the chicks for a couple of weeks so that predator thinks food supply is gone or until adult size?

2. Should I allow chicks out into yard with adults while I am present To keep integrated in the flock?

I have moved cameras and am setting traps tomorrow.

update on injured chicks. The less injured one is doing great.
the more injured is healing and is now eating chick crumble and drinking on own. Still not able to use one foot and injuries are still severe but improving daily.

dead chick from today

injured foot

enjoying the attention

belly wounds

back wound

 

[LaFleche]

To me this looks very much like a raccoons work. From my experience chickens are not afraid of raccoons, but they are curious to see what the raccoon is doing with its hands. So it often is the most self-confident youngsters that go near to explore and get grabbed by the neck and the raccoon starts munching away on them without caring to kill the chicken first.

As the raccoon holds the chicken firmly by the neck/throat you will not hear any sounds of warning cry or else, so the others just do not realise what is going on get get grabbed as well.

 

[centrarchid]

Raccoon most likely attacking while still dark. Use that most recent carcass as bait. Keep it in freezer during day.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Without wasting everyone's times justifying, I am betting Didelphis virginiana.

How does giving reasoning behind your guess waste time? It might actually educate someone??

 

[centrarchid]

How does giving reasoning behind your guess waste time? It might actually educate someone??

Typically, I invest a lot in educating. My posting pattern speaks for itself. The are times where I tire of having to invest so much energy in laying out reasoning when others dump the same prepackaged responses used on multiple threads that do not fit evidence provided by OP's. Saturday was one of those days as for me they are extremely long already by noon.

Opossums and Raccoons both produce a sloppered-on look on a carcass consumed near kill site. Opossums tend to produce damage to flanks, posterior part of back and abdomen while raccoons tend do most attacking directed at head, neck and otherwise anterior region. These are not hard and fast patterns, hence the use of the word "tend".

 

[Tre3hugger]

Typically, I invest a lot in educating. My posting pattern speaks for itself. The are times where I tire of having to invest so much energy in laying out reasoning when others dump the same prepackaged responses used on multiple threads that do not fit evidence provided by OP's. Saturday was one of those days as for me they are extremely long already by noon.

Opossums and Raccoons both produce a sloppered-on look on a carcass consumed near kill site. Opossums tend to produce damage to flanks, posterior part of back and abdomen while raccoons tend do most attacking directed at head, neck and otherwise anterior region. These are not hard and fast patterns, hence the use of the word "tend".

I appreciate your honest response. Thank you for your time and explanation.

 

[cmom]

Could be a fox.

 

[cmom]

I have several game cameras. I'm always looking for a good deal. Some are mounted on trees and posts and some are mounted on pvc that I attached a stake to the bottom so I can easily move them around. The camera behind to the right of the hummingbird feeder is always pointed at my chick/grow-out coop.