what decapitates without consuming? *new info and new pics Pg.4*

[kari_dawn]

That is one predator that I don't think we have here in North Texas...as far as I know I think they are mainly up north.

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

I'm voting it was a raccoon. They'll kill many chickens at a time and they tend to grab head and chew up the necks. We had one that killed a lot of our birds before we realized how it was getting in. They have the dexterity to reach through 1" cell chicken wire and grab chicks. They'll squeeze through an opening the diameter of a coffee mug (that's how it was getting in one run- a staple had come loose and the 'coon was just stretching the wire). They will gnaw through plywood, too. We finally caught the coon that was plaguing us on Halloween. We were about to head over to my parents' so they could see our daughter all dressed up when I said- "Oh, better close up the chickens first." As I was walking down the steps I heard all heck break loose in the coop. My husband got the shotgun and that was the last time that coon came to our house. That thing was the biggest boar 'coon I have seen, probably because he'd gotten fat off of chickens!

 

[mondotomhead]

I, too, think it was a raccoon as the same kind of attack happened to me last fall. Two baby raccoon killed 4 of my babies and just left the bodies there. It was awful so I know how you are feeling. I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[Nslangton]

Forgot bout this in my last post. I use a baby TV monitor in my barn. I keep the TV screen that is about 4"x4" in my house about 300 feet away. I can move the camera anywhere in the barn and see what is going on while being in the house. I take it to bed with me that way I don't have to get up in the middle of the night and go to the barn. I've used it to view litters of puppies, injured horses, and even a nest of barn swallows. It works great and only cost about $60. I have it set up already on my brooder so i can watch the chicks at night while I'm in bed!!!

 

[jonusko]

From what I have experienced... Foxes, coyotes and bobcats will grab a chicken and run. Bears will rip them apart near the coop. Raccoons can reach through fences and pull chickens apart, sometimes only removing their head. [FONT=calibri, sans-serif]Skunks frequently get into my coop (squeezing through 2"x4" fencing), but I have never had a skunk hurt a chicken - only startle a broody chicken sleeping in the laying box. Dogs will generally catch and shake a chicken, but I suspect most would not eat one. Bottom line is that I suspect a raccoon.[/FONT]




Just thinking... I did have one bear pull a head off before I interrupted its dinner. I wonder if the bear was smart enough to do that to stop the chicken from making noise. Bears are very stealthy and smart.

 

[kari_dawn]

haha that is one thing I am pretty certain we don't have in my back yard...any bear would be hard pressed to find habitat that secluded in this area and the mass panick that would ensue from a bear sighting would be news worthy...and there was no damage to my wood privacy fence!

I am kindof leaning towards raccoon on this one...the coop door was wide open, so it's not like he had to try really hard...I just haven't ever had one kill without eatting

You are right, foxes, bobs, and coyotes do grab and run...I guess raccoon would be the best fit

 

[Highlander]

Foxes don't always grab and run. I found fox prints in the mud after my attack so I know it wasn't any other creature that decapitated mine, besides, we don't have raccoons here. I wouldn't discount foxes yet.

 

[sourland]

Bottom line is that while there is a general MO for each species individuals within the species may develop widely varied methods of killing/eating. As you already know it is time to start locking the coop at night. Any trouble last night?

 

[kari_dawn]

nope, no issues. Right now my parents are visiting, and they love to see the birds running loose in the yard, but they don't seem to realize the gravity of closing that door at dusk. When my dad woke up and found three of my birds dead by the gate where I put them, he got it, and he helped me burry them. I think he finally understands how very important it is to close the door. My lectures weren't getting through. I don't know why they have to be so hard headed sometimes. I tell them all the time "if you want to let the birds free range, that is fine but you MUST close the coop at dusk because I will be at work, and won't be able to do it. My bird's lives depend on it".

So far, every time I have lost a bird to a nocturnal predator it has been because of the above discribed scenario.

One of our dogs chased a very fast moving something out from under our shed. I did not see it, so I don't know what it was but I suspect it may have been the culprit.

 

[Coveacres]

Had a similar problem years ago... it was a Raccoon. Had it been only one bird I would have said Owl, but I must agree with others here and say it sounds very much like a raccoon.