What just eats head / neck?

[Sortacountrychicken]

I lost a hen to rats this winter that looked very close to this

 

[SmallTimeChicks]

I just lost my best girl to a predator. What kills but just eats the head & neck area? I suspect a raccoon but no other clues. The hawk net seems secure but I found one small area that might have been dug under the fence. View attachment 2498971

Oh my goodness! This is happening to me right now too! Same death, same manner.
My coop is fully enclosed in hardware cloth. Therefore, I know it's not a raccoon or hawk. It happened in the coop and not the run, so it wasn't pulled through the fence (plus hardware cloth is too small for this). My guess is weasel bc they can fit into any space the size of a quarter. I have yet to find the point of entry and I'm nervous for more. Lost one yesterday and one again today. My roo is not doing his job.

 

[50-45-1]

My roo is not doing his job.

Chickens have no night vision and are completely vulnerable at night. A rooster can not help against a nighttime attack and is just as likely to be killed.
I put a baby monitor in my coop once to alert me when the critter came back.
You must have an opening or gap somewhere. Hope you find it soon!

 

[bobbi-j]

Mink and skunks will also just eat the head and/or neck.

 

[Chickenmom283]

Sorry for your loss. Could it be an ermine or something??

I just lost my best girl to a predator. What kills but just eats the head & neck area? I suspect a raccoon but no other clues. The hawk net seems secure but I found one small area that might have been dug under the fence. View attachment 2498971

 

[SmallTimeChicks]

Chickens have no night vision and are completely vulnerable at night. A rooster can not help against a nighttime attack and is just as likely to be killed.
I put a baby monitor in my coop once to alert me when the critter came back.
You must have an opening or gap somewhere. Hope you find it soon!

Thank you, me too!
I've scooped up all the bedding in search for a point of entry, but not yet. Ugh. I put a radio in the coop as a deterrent, and the predator didn't come last night, thank heavens.

 

[Unhackable21]

I just lost my best girl to a predator. What kills but just eats the head & neck area? I suspect a raccoon but no other clues. The hawk net seems secure but I found one small area that might have been dug under the fence. View attachment 2498971

Cats (Bobcat, Mountain Lion) are notorious for just ripping off the head and not eating the bird. Been through that myself and have it all on camera.

 

[pieville]

We decided to rebuild our whole chicken run. I’m lucky I have a handy & understanding hubby! I’m going all out to make it predator-proof this go around. &#€! varmits!