What killed my chickens and ducks this way? WARNING graphic pic included.

[LKirts]

I have lost 4 ducks and 2 chickens in this manner. I know we have a weasel out back that we are trying to trap. One duck was carried off, you could see the tracks in the snow. one chicken had its head decapitated, no blood, body left untouched. One chicken was killed just like this pic of the duck... and 3 other ducks just like this also. I am in the process of making weasel boxes to try to trap them that way besides reg. traps set out. What else could kill my ducks in this manner? Nothing else on the body was touched, just the neck , stripped completely. Anyone have a clue? Or how better to trap this sort of preditor. My ducks and chickens are fenced in with a coop.

 

[enola]

I am not sure what predator is doing that, but your only defense until you catch the predator, is to keep your hens penned up.

 

[LKirts]

they are penned up at night, one chicken was killed inside the pen. there were a couple tunnels dug under the fencing. I am cleaning up an old barn that had fallen, and will move the coops to that area. it has cement floors. so that will stop anything from digging under. Getting a smaller holed fencing to go around the other fencing. One duck had its head pulled right thru the fencing from inside the fenced area. its terrible!

 

[enola]

Raccoons are famous for pulling body parts through the fence to kill.

You can put a "skirt" of wire around the perimeter of of your pen to prevent predators from digging under.

How big was the tunnel under the fence? Is your coop predator proof?

 

[LKirts]

the tunnel was about 3inches in diameter.. not very big.. at first I thought it was a snake hole... but a snake wouldn't do this. then , I thought it was the weasel. they will tunnel like this. but will a weasel do that kind of damage? we just moved to this property, so things are not as they are suppose to be, yet... but I'm working on it every day... I'm outside every day, even in the snow , I have horses, goats, pigs , ducks, turkeys and rabbits. so I'm always outside... this happens in the middle of the night. I need to get my trail cam fixed or get a new one. I had the 22 ruger out my husband and I were chasing the weasel during the day when we were cleaning up the old barn area. we have hawks, turkey vultures, cranes, fox, coyote, all kinds of critters out here... but not sure besides a weasel , what would do that kind of damage.

 

[enola]

A weasel only needs a tiny hole to get in. If a weasel is your attacker, you are lucky, there are horror stories on this site of weasels wiping out the entire flock in one massacre.

 

[LKirts]

Oh, I know the horror of weasel stories.... I'm thankful that it hasn't been more than one at a time.. but it still is very sad to see this... and its happening about once a week...not every day.. so that is weird also. I have a 22 acre farm that is backed up to a 77 acre farm. and across the street from a dairy farm.... so I guess anything is possible... I'm going out to put skirting around the pen today, see if that stops anything. until I can move the coop to the cement padding of the old barn. I am making weasel boxes and see if I can catch anything that way, anyone ever use those? Ive watched videos on how to make them with xlarge rat traps inside... so I guess we will see what happens... even thought of putting a perimeter fencing a foot away from and around the coop fencing and have it hooked up with the electric fence of the horse pastures.. that should zap whatever tries to get in.. but wont zap my girls

 

[dgibson0604]

i think it is a raccoon they will reach through the wire of your pen and they will bite the head off the birds

 

[LKirts]

only one chicken was decapitated like a hawk attack, all the others were like the above pic.. just stripped on the neck, all the way to the bone. no other part of the body was touched.. and no blood anywhere around the site. just feathers.

 

[bigoledude]

I asked some trappers on a forum I frequent for advice for you. They directed me to this video for a very simple, but effective method.

Hope it helps.