What killed my chicken?

[OHChick]

sounds like a raccoon, at least according to my research. i came across this site today.... granted this is Ohio predators, you can probably find something similar for your area.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0022.html

sorry for your loss.

 

[ManOfTheJerseyGiant]

Most likly a raccoon. With my pens I have got chicken wire covering the whole outside. I normaly had 2 feet around it untill I had squirls getting into my pens. I want to worried about the bigger ones, but the fact was that in a pen I had 36 new 2 week old baby chickens in it. And if the squirl had steped on one it would had killed it. And I can not have that happening to my chickens. I managed to kill a coullle squirls but ever since then I have not had none up at the pens. I also live in the country so I have squirls,deers,snakes, and all other sorts of things back in the woods.

 

[southernsibe]

This is very similar to what happened to me just last night. The puzzling part for me is this. One hen with a missing head and I think crop, and two others that were just dead. No missing parts, and they were in three different parts of the run. My run is totally covered with chain link fencing and net. There were no holes, and no visible means of entry. I could understand one that had poked it's head out, but three dead in different parts? Any ideas?
TIA
Rachel

 

[Wolfpacker]

I hate reading these posts. I feel for you folks who have suffered, having been there myself, and it makes me paranoid, despite my best efforts, my girls aren't secure.

The missing heads sound like racoons to me too. I lost three of mine last year the same way. I now have mine in what I hope is a secure wooden and hardware cloth covered coop in what I hope is a secure chainlink run with hardware cloth top.

I've read that fall is the worst time for predators because they're trying to fatten up for the winter, so be alert. Just keep reenforcing your coop and run and don't give up.

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

Quote:
Keep looking if it killed the chickens it is getting in. Sometimes we overlook things because we are human, we think like humans. It does not take much of an opening for some critters to get in. "it" will be back!

 

[jmc_123]

I am just getting used to this site and came across this topic. I started with chickens this spring and had a quick sitter. I managed to have six little bantam chicks that lasted one whole day.
Raccoons pushed in the area they were in and got them, the sitter and my trio of Dutch and 3 Silkie chicks. I stayed up that next night and noticed how they try to get to them. Raccoons have great dexterity in the hands just like us. They were reaching in and grabbing the chickens from the roost. Taking their heads and leaving the rest. After I got tired of watching them try, I put my bright spotlight on them and to my surprise there were 4 hunting at the same time and place. A few 22 shells later, they were dealt with. I've never been a hunter but I had to do something. All together, since March I have killed or removed 21 raccoons, 1 possum and a snake of some kind.

 

[Xtradust]

21 RACCOONS!!! Wow.

 

[Poison Ivy]

Quote:
I had the same thing happen a few years ago it took me a couple days to figure out where the coon was coming in at. I had chain link with netting over the top. But in one place where my gate was the netting had nothing to attach too. That was the spot he was coming in. He climbed the gate and slipped in under the netting. I then took a fence pole and ran it across the top where the gate butted against it and then zip tied the netting to the pole. I've not had another one get in the run but I do keep a trap set & baited 24/7. It only take a small hole for one to squeeze in. The raccoon killed 6 of mine and left them uneaten then ate the head of another. Turned out to be a family of raccoons getting in my run. You need to go over ever inch of your run to see where the weak spot is and close it up or they will be back until all your birds are gone.