What is eating the heads off our birds

[CAMOCLUCKS]

What ever it is, it eats the heads off and then leaves the rest of the bird lay. It has gotten hens, roosters and turkeys. Any ideas would be great and what to do about it. We live in central illinois.

 

[chickaddict]

raccoons

 

[moondog425]

possums will do that to.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Yeah, I vote raccoons. What a shame about your birds...

 

[zoo2u]

I would actually say weasels as they are known to do this and can get in through fairly small areas.

 

[theFox]

Quote:
Get some traps and bait them with the remains of your birds. Make sure the trap can hold a raccoon and has a fairly tight mesh so it will also contain a weasel.

Remember to check state law on protecting your animals as it frequently allows for trapping without a trapping license and out of season to control predation of "farm" animals.

Then dispatch what you catch, do not relocate.

 

[jennh]

I happened to catch a possum in the act in my coop this summer. It had eaten the head off two chicks. If I hadn't gone up to the coop, it probably would have gotten the other two.

Jen

 

[Gingersprite]

From my experience, raccoons, though I have heard the same for weasels (but i've heard they'll slit the throats too and not necessarily eat the head) and owls too. A raccoon killed one of my girls and it was horrible, her head was gone and it also ate the crop out of her chest. Disgusting, even if it was just following its instincts. I will never forgive my not protecting that chicken better, she was separated from the flock because she was blind and I had her protected but the top of the door opening was only covered with heavy avian netting and that's where the raccoon got in, climbed on top of the wooden building, swung down over door overhang, and pulled the aviary netting out in the upper corner where it was stapled to the small opening to the outside. If that makes sense. point is he was wiley and must have been studying my temporary set up to "protect" her. I trapped that night and the next and caught that raccoon and I never thought I could kill an animal willfully but I shot it in the trap, I just couldn't relocate the problem, or let it go for that matter.