What got my chickens?

[Charlene]

A few nights (well could have been early morning or late evening too) ago, something got 2 of my four free range chickens. I found feathers, two legs and a bunny head. Nothing else from those two.

I started locking my remaining two in at night. Today, sometime between 10:30 and 4, whatever it was came back and got the last two. Same kind of scene, feathers, some legs (but not all) and that's it.

What kinda of predator comes in the day AND at night? Raccoons? Coyotes? Dogs? Any ideas? My poor ladies.

 

[chicmom]

Oh, so sorry about your hens....could it be hawks? Or it could possibly have been coyotes or dogs.....usually skunks, possums, raccoons and rats are night time predators.

 

[tammyd57]

Raccoons won't always wait until night time when they know where a good chicken dinner is.

 

[lisa new chickens]

Also foxes...we have them trying to visit during the day..

 

[BankerJohn]

I doubt the predator is a bird of prey. Hawks, and other birds will carry their prey away to eat it. Same with a fox, they usually will carry their quarry away. My guess would be a dog. Do you have any neighborhood dogs that roam free?

 

[Charlene]

Yes, it could be a dog, there are some people who can't quite keep their dogs in. But would they be able to catch and eat two whole chickens (and a wild bunny)? I also thought they'd be messier and leave more parts. But then people say raccoons don't eat the whole chicken either so I don't know.