What is killing my chickens?

[spbaz]

We have free range chickens and lost 2 in 2 days, they seemed like hawk attacks to me because they were out in the open yard with the heads removed and the body of the chickens split open.
In an effort to protect the flock I put them in the run yesterday only to wake up to a dead chicken this morning within the run. The predator got inside the coop run. Same thing, this chicken kept her head but her body was opened up and most of it was eaten.
I have fixed the hole in the coop run and I will shut them inside the coop again tonight, but I am not sure what to do because I can’t figure out what is getting them!
Help!

 

[the_peanut_coop]

We have free range chickens and lost 2 in 2 days, they seemed like hawk attacks to me because they were out in the open yard with the heads removed and the body of the chickens split open.
In an effort to protect the flock I put them in the run yesterday only to wake up to a dead chicken this morning within the run. The predator got inside the coop run. Same thing, this chicken kept her head but her body was opened up and most of it was eaten.
I have fixed the hole in the coop run and I will shut them inside the coop again tonight, but I am not sure what to do because I can’t figure out what is getting them!
Help!

I would guess raccoon or cat... have you had any other sightings from neigbors?

 

[FarmerGirl1010]

Maybe a mink or weasel? they can fit through small places to get into the chicken run. They don't usually eat the whole chicken. Check every small gap that something could get into.

 

[FarmerGirl1010]

Here is something I found: "When you find a bird dead inside a chicken pen and run (or a coop, for that matter) with its head and crop missing, your visitor was a raccoon. If the head and back of the neck are missing, suspect a weasel or mink."

 

[spbaz]

I would guess raccoon or cat... have you had any other sightings from neigbors?

We live pretty far out in the country so we see a lot of wildlife. My husband saw a coyote crossing the road today. And I saw something that was a little bigger than a cat climbing a tree in our driveway last night.
We had a raccoon problem awhile back. I think a mink or a weasel seems like a likely candidate. Just not sure what to do about it? I don’t want to lose any more birds

 

[FarmerGirl1010]

I've had many chickens die... so what I did was put up a fence around the coop and get two Great Pyrenees guard dogs. My dogs are very good at barking and scaring off predators. You could set up some traps too.

 

[Blue Raptor]

We have free range chickens and lost 2 in 2 days, they seemed like hawk attacks to me because they were out in the open yard with the heads removed and the body of the chickens split open.
In an effort to protect the flock I put them in the run yesterday only to wake up to a dead chicken this morning within the run. The predator got inside the coop run. Same thing, this chicken kept her head but her body was opened up and most of it was eaten.
I have fixed the hole in the coop run and I will shut them inside the coop again tonight, but I am not sure what to do because I can’t figure out what is getting them!
Help!

Raccoons do that type of thing. They can just get right through that door. I suggest and top and bottom latch on all of the doors, maybe even three if it is a really flimsy door.

 

[Blue Raptor]

Don’t use chicken wire, it will definitely not keep the animals out. We use fencing and it works really well, stapled into the posts with metal staples.

 

[neo71665]

That sounds like a coon.

And yeah chicken wire is only good for creating a coffin for a chicken. It doesn't stop any predators.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Don’t use chicken wire, it will definitely not keep the animals out. We use fencing and it works really well, stapled into the posts with metal staples.

Cannot agree on this statement enough!
Chicken wire, with repeated pushing and testing, soon stretches and breaks.

Cost is always a factor - but I've found the best wire for longevity and strength is this stuff..

https://www.placemakers.co.nz/produ...cing-and-netting/generic/square-mesh-netting/

You can get it in various square sizes so you pick the size to exclude the predators you have.

Alternatively: Where you need to reinforce existing chicken wire then try a layer of good quality shade cloth (which you can attach cheaply with zip ties). I have this around all the netting in my chick grow out run - and in some places I have more than one layering where I want thicker protection (from both predators and wind).