What eats guts of chicken entering from behind?

[Raven Feather]

I live at 6900' in the high desert of northern NM. There are no opossums here.

 

[LAChickens]

Something ate two of my hens, two different nights - both the same MO. Went in through the hind end and ate the guts. Left the head, breast skeletal structure intact. I'm assuming they killed the birds while they were roosting? One was found inside a nesting box about 3 feet off the floor, the other on the ground, behind a structure, both may have been setting nests as I have a bunch of broody birds currently.

I have geese that normally warn me of anything going on that they think is sketchy, but there have been a lot of coyotes around recently, so maybe I wasn't paying attention as closely as I should be. I have LGDs so I don't think this is coyote related, they don't come into the yard. Raccoons I think would take the carcass out of the pen, and skunks I don't think can climb well (the nesting boxes are on a baker's rack against a wall, so maybe an opossum?

We live in California oak forest, and there are a lot of critters around.

 

[hayley3]

Something ate two of my hens, two different nights - both the same MO. Went in through the hind end and ate the guts. Left the head, breast skeletal structure intact. I'm assuming they killed the birds while they were roosting? One was found inside a nesting box about 3 feet off the floor, the other on the ground, behind a structure, both may have been setting nests as I have a bunch of broody birds currently.

I have geese that normally warn me of anything going on that they think is sketchy, but there have been a lot of coyotes around recently, so maybe I wasn't paying attention as closely as I should be. I have LGDs so I don't think this is coyote related, they don't come into the yard. Raccoons I think would take the carcass out of the pen, and skunks I don't think can climb well (the nesting boxes are on a baker's rack against a wall, so maybe an opossum?

We live in California oak forest, and there are a lot of critters around.

View attachment 4085023

I'm thinking possum since the birds were nesting on the ground. They are scavengers. Birds have to be easy prey for a possum to get them. Do you know how they got inside?

 

[chickyturkeyemulady]

I had this same question last season, but my hens were left otherwise intact - just the guts were gone. I lost 6 or 7 hens this way over a period of several months. It turned out to be a cannibal hen in my flock - I caught her in the act. Since she was removed, it has not recurred.

 

[Tormund]

So I found one of my chickens who lost it's tail and a predator had eaten the entire contents of the body cavety. Legs, feet, breast, head were all still there. Only a gaping hole where her tail had been and between the legs. I have never seen this behavior and I have lost my fair share of chickens to bear, raccoon, fox, hawks, and mink. By the time I found her rigor had already set in (this was around 8 pm) so it could have happened overnight, and I didn't notice her when I let them out for the day or during the morning hours. They are locked up at night, and I found the body under the coop, which is totally enclosed with hardware cloth, I didn't see any holes in the fence.

I'm baffled! Anyone know what did this?

Sounds like a possum got them. Eating in from the back end is a pretty unique signature for possum attacks.