what killed my hens?

[maggimay43]

i accidentally left the coop door open last night and when i went out to feed the girls this morning i had 2 dead hens. the weird part is that it look like 2 different types of predators did it. one of the hens had been dragged from the coop and through a hole in the 4x4 wire fencing around the yard, there were a lot of feathers and her body was barely recognizable when i found it. the other one was on the about 40 feet away and had most of her feathers, just her throat and belly had been ripped out.
i havent seen any dogs in the area and we live in town so i dont suspect foxes or coyotes. could a cat do that kind of damage or do i have something else to worry about? of course the first step is to make sure the coop is closed up at night, but what else can i do to protect the rest of my flock?

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Pulled through the fence sounds like a raccoon.

 

[lalaland]

Cats leave adult hens alone. They might take a chick, but not a hen.
Foxes take one bird and leave with it.
Racoons do pull through openings and wire.
A hawk will leave the body sometimes, sometimes take it depending on size of chicken.

But, I think SD bird lady is right, you have a coon. Besides keeping them locked up from dusk to dawn, you could reinforce the fence , or go for an electric fence.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I have had good results with electric around the base of my run... Good luck!

 

[maggimay43]

thanks for the feedback. after some more research i agree it was probably a racoon. i'm being much more careful with my remaining 2 hens. they seem a little lonely so i hope to get some new chicks soon for them to play with.