What killed my chicken? (a bit graphic)

[TheyMakeMeSmile]

I have six chickens in a hen house surrounded by a 4 ft high chicken wire coop. They free range during the day on our 2 acres of pastures. The coop backs up to our dog kennel, which I think has helped prevent predators. I have had this setup for over 3 years with no problems.

Wednesday night (well after dark) when I went out to lock up the hen house, I discovered one chicken was not in the hen house. She was not roosting outside, where I have occasionally found a chicken or two.

Thursday morning, still no sign. I walked our pastures but found nothing.

Friday morning I found her in the fenced-in coop, very dead: head still attached, neck and head meat eaten away, chest ripped open and eaten into, lots of maggots and flies and BAD stink.

We have a pine tree that hangs over the coop. Could an animal have taken her into the tree Wednesday night, had its meal and left her there, until she fell back into the coop sometime Thursday night?

We live in the country outside of Eugene, Oregon, and have seen raccoons, possums, foxes, minks, skunks, hawks, owls, eagles, coyotes and even a mountain lion.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[TOP KNOT]

Opossums will eat the crop, raccoons eat heads off

 

[harvestmoonGal]

I had two foxes find their way into my cage, the first time they killed they left the body in the cage. The 2&3 time they carried the bodies in the woods. 4 time they only got her half way out the cage.(they ate her head off!)
I had a friend do a steak out, the 2&3 time was foxes, the 4 time was a raccoon. It made me so angry and sad! I couldn't believed it had gotten four of my hens! After that my girls haven't been laying the same.

But with the raccoon they seen him in the tree, so it could be one.