What eats guts of chicken entering from behind?

[fiddlebanshee]

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?

 

[50-45-1]

Possum eat the guts. is your coop and run covered over the top?
Pictures of your aet up may help sorry for your loss.

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Possum eat the guts. is your coop and run covered over the top?
Pictures of your aet up may help sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately, I already disposed of her. Did not think of taking a pic. The tail was gone and the soft area of the underbelly, where there are no ribs was torn away and the entire belly cavity was cleaned out. They were not interested in the meaty parts or the brains, as all of that was untouched and I didn't see any wounds on her head, breast, neck or back.

Yes the run is covered in 1/4" hardware cloth. This goes all the way around the area under the coop. They free range during the day, but I always close the door behind them when they come in for the night.

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I am not sure if I have pictures of my coop, I can take some tomorrow and post.

 

[hayley3]

Agree, sounds like a possum and you have a hole somewhere, so need to figure out where it is. I've had raccoons tunnel up into a building before that a groundhog had made. I don't know that a possum will go through that much trouble. Something could have killed the hen and the possum found it.

Are your chickens locked inside the coop at night or just locked inside the run?

 

[digbychris]

In my experience that’s typically an opossum. It’s too bad, I don’t mind them being around but I can’t have predation.

 

[hayley3]

In my experience that’s typically an opossum. It’s too bad, I don’t mind them being around but I can’t have predation.

A possum can't catch a chicken unless it's asleep in the dark and can't escape. Normally they eat carrion that is just laying around.

 

[chickyturkeyemulady]

I lost one older hen earlier this week. Fine in morning, dead in afternoon. She was eviscerated through the back end, guts and organs missing, no other marks on her body. I thought she had probably suffered a prolapse followed by cannibalism. Now, I just heard a racket in my poultry yard and found a young hen (7 months) the same way. No signs of the predator. I typically don't have opossums where I am, but they're not unheard of. Both of these occurred in daytime. I understand an opossum sneaking up during the night while birds are sleeping, but when they're running around in their yard? Are there any other predators that kill this way?

 

[Al Gerhart]

Chickens pick at any chicken that shows a bit of blood. Once one has an injury around the vent it is just a matter of time before they are found hollowed out like you described. Not predators, the other chickens did the deed.

Same manner as hyenas attacking prey from the rear till they can start pulling out the guts. Lots of prey animals eat the innards first, a lot less work than the muscle meat.

I'd check the birds a few times a week and coop up any with any vent injury.