What do you think did this?

[Stacykins]

The picture is rather graphic, so I'm hiding it in a "spoiler" bubble.

Picture here.




A second young bird, an isa brown, was also consumed, But the only thing left from that one was the legs, some of the skin and feathers, and one wing. I guess by the time the critter started eating the cornish x, it was almost full, so it did not finish.

I've setup a live trap next to the coop with the remains of the cornish x. I am hoping that the critter is hungry for the leftovers. So any idea what ate these two?

 

[cowsr4eating]

Can you give us a little more information? Were they in an enclosed coop? Was the door open? How big are the holes in the coop? Right now it could be just about anything like a dog, fox, coyote raccoon, but don't know if they are too big to get to them. Was it during the day or at night?

 

[Stacykins]

Can you give us a little more information? Were they in an enclosed coop? Was the door open? How big are the holes in the coop? Right now it could be just about anything like a dog, fox, coyote raccoon, but don't know if they are too big to get to them. Was it during the day or at night?

Hmm, more information. It happened last night, found the chicks this morning. No visible tracks around, all the snow is melting. What is left is the hard, icy under layer from all the snow.

The chicks were sleeping on the lower roosts, accessible by a small ladder. The adults were all in the rafters of the coop, they fly up there. However, there were four adult pekin ducks sleeping on the floor of the coop at ground level. So it seems a little odd that whatever decided to avoid the ducks.

The coop is inside the chicken run, which has netting, hardware cloth fence, and gate. Buuut the gate is frozen in place, open. This winter got so bad that if I closed it, snow drifted against it and froze it shut. After the first few weeks of having to dig out that gate twice a day, and seeing no predator tracks ever in the snow, I left it open. Now with everything thawing, I should be able to close it soon. So I was kind of asking for something to get in.

 

[zazouse]

Looks like the work of a rat, i have seen it before. you will need something smaller than chciken wire to keep them out as well as snakes that like to eggs.
Sorry for your loss

 

[aart]

So the run was open but the coop was shut up tight and has no holes that a predator could get in?

Rat's a good guess as it seems these were younger chickens and easier for a small animal to catch.

 

[LillianMae]

If it left the skin and wings behind on a YOUNG chicken, then it's probably a cat, make sure the area your younger chickens are in is very secure, especially at night

 

[heronz]

I agree probably a stinking rat.