What likely got my bird?

[Lady of McCamley]

I've had an older hen doing poorly for several weeks, with the inevitable end. She apparently didn't make it back to the coop last night (wasn't at coop count). She'd been spending more time hiding in corners of the yard, which is pretty hard to see at night.

So I looked this morning and found her underneath a tree, at least her main body.

Her head and neck were eaten to bone. Her wings were pulled off and bare scapula with attached wing were found several paces away. Her main body was cored out like a chicken prepared for stuffing for turkey dinner....completely eviscerated. One of her feet was pulled off and several paces away. Of course, a pile of feathers.

I'm pretty sure she had succumbed sometime yesterday and this was her final resting spot, which is why she wasn't in check in at coop last night on lock up.

But, what on earth tore her apart limb from limb totally eviscerating her? I know I have hawks (day time kills...head and neck and some breast), raccoons (generally head and neck, some breast body in tact), oppossum and skunk (my egg eater). Coyote have been seen in the area but I've no knowledge one has made it onto my property (although my neighbor saw one scaling her fence).

Everyone is locked up tight for the night. I'm just wondering what fresh hell is this coming my way. Would coons do that? Could they?

Thanks for the insight.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear about your hen

To me, it would be Raccoon or Possum. Possibly the Skunk or an Owl.

A Coyote, Fox or Bobcat would have likely taken the whole bird somewhere secluded.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm sorry to hear about your hen

To me, it would be Raccoon or Possum. Possibly the Skunk or an Owl.

A Coyote, Fox or Bobcat would have likely taken the whole bird somewhere secluded.

Thank you for the input. My thought was the coons, but I wasn't sure they'd do that kind of damage.

LofMc

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Sorry for your loss

 

[TOR]

Raccoon will eat a whole bird feathers and all. Racoons like to eat the heads off chickens Possum from what I have seen are more likely to to start at the rear and eat their way in. Possum is more of a scavenger and take a easy meal not that they will not kill a chicken.

Being out there all night could have had more than 1 animal eating it..

 

[Callender Girl]

How incredibly horrifying for both you and your poor hen! I have read that certain hormones kick in when death begins to occur, so I hope your girl went without much suffering. My hope would be that she passed quietly and that the "attack" occurred after she was already gone.

Finding what remains of your hen after a predator attack is heartbreaking. I am so sorry. I hope the rest of your flock remains safe.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thanks for the input. Possum is an idea as it was definitely rear inward rather than breast (which is typically a coon approach).

And yes, several predators may have worked on the carcass. My thoughts are she had already passed which is why she made no attempt to make it back to the coop. Otherwise I'd have found her in route somewhere or simply in the run.

Thankfully no other incidents. All others are happy and healthy. I console myself that she lived a very happy and long life (I'm pretty sure she was going on 7 years).

LofMc

 

[Bhaf]

So sorry to read this!! I ,too, am sad at losing one of my gals. Just yesterday my 3 or 4 year old orpington hen, Ethyl Murtz, was snatched by a coyote about 4:30 in the afternoon. I heard the commotion and ran outside, but she was gone, just a bunch of feathers strewn about. After looking at our cameras, we saw a coyote just walk right up close to our house, grab her and run off into the cornfield. Ethyl was a little lame (she injured her leg a few months ago) but she could walk, just not very fast. And of course she was my favorite ( I only have 5).
They have an enclosed coop secure in my garage, but are free to walk about during the day. I always get them back inside way before dusk because I thought coyotes were nocturnal. But this guy coming so boldly up to my house in broad daylight while cars are going by loudly and everything have changed my oponion.
I guess my question is what do I do now? I can't not let them out during the day, but I can't babysit them and watch them the whole day either. Any suggestions? Anyone have this problem??

 

[Callender Girl]

I am so sorry that you lost your special girl, Ethyl Murtz; .It must have been horrifying to see it on camera.

I constantly am on guard for predators. I regularly hear coyotes at night but had a recent daylight visit from one, have lost birds to a mink and know the surrounding fields host a variety of creatures that would gladly eat my chickens, ducks and geese.

When I only had a flock of four (many, many birds ago), they lived in a coop with an attached run. That's when I learned how useless chicken wire is when it comes to protecting chickens. Also, the run didn't give the girls a lot of opportunity for exploration.

I found a used chicken tractor on Craigslist that let them experience more of the world. It was a DIY proejct, for sure, made sturdy with lumber and chicken wire. When I got it, we wrapped the whole thing in hardware cloth to make it safer from predators.

It was heavy enough that it was hard, but not impossible, to move around so the girls could peck at fresh grass and new bugs. Built with 2-by-4's and a few 4-by-4's, the tractor has been converted into a shelter for my ducks, who sleep safely every night.

All of my coops now have attached runs that include hardware cloth aprons around the bottom so nothing digs in. And the coop doors have safety hooks and multiple latches so raccoons don't open them.

Hope you find a way to keep the rest of your flock safe and happy. Take care.

 

[Yardmom]

We have had several fox attacks during the day over the years. We have large flocks and have decided to continue free ranging, but use a modify system when we know the fox is stopping regularly. What we do then is only let the hens out in the evening when we are home. We make sure someone is outside if the chickens are out, but it is only for an hour or so and not everyday as we are often busy elsewhere. By letting the chickens out even though it is a short time the birds are able to get grit, greens, and "bathes". I should note this has not been perfect as a few bold foxes have still made quick grabs in front of us.