What predator would kill a whole flock?

[Cluckcluck1215]

Yes, well in 6 years I had never lost a chicken to predators either. It's never a problem until it is. :/

Last week or so, I lost a 6ish week old chick, I'm guessing to aerial predators. No signs, just missing. An accepted danger of free ranging. As if going to the inlaws isn't hard enough, it happened while I was gone to their house for the day. 

FOX!
I think a fox.I had a Pullet and a drake go missing, Both two diffrent times.No blood, no feathers, broad daylight.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

FOX!
I think a fox.I had a Pullet and a drake go missing, Both two diffrent times.No blood, no feathers, broad daylight.

Yes, fox are pretty sly!

I have 3 dogs and they didn't act crazy like something had been there is the main reason I think aerial, and crow at that.

Yesterday in my garden was guts of something where none of my animals have access. Also a couple days ago, one of my hens was running around with what I thought was a rope dog toy in her mouth but upon closer inspection could see tiny feet of a baby bird hanging out. And she was trying to swallow it down and tear it open. She wan't near the tree cover at all, so I'm thinking a predator must have dropped it and she found it.

I see crows often and very rarely a hawk in my neighborhood.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have seen cats hunting in my back pasture, usually rats or gophers. The location the chicks were, a cat would have to get through the dogs. So I don't think it's that either. Though anything truly is possible!

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Could be any animal really, especially with it being only a 6 week old chick.

I have a LOT of hawks around here.And eagles, mainly because I Hev a huge field.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yep, 14 chicks that age and about 40 full size, 3 dogs, and 2 goats.... And it HAD to take 1 of my 2 female SFH chicks!

So I didn't do count because it was dark when we got home that night, I just locked up. Didn't count at breakfast cuz it's a busy time. Mid morning noticed... saw a crow (maybe raven) fly away a short while before that. Went to do a count and sure enough one was gone.

SO I don't know if it happened the previous day or right in front of me. And of course the crow COULD be a coincidence... But I think they might be raiding nests right now... with my one hen having that baby bird in her mouth.

Even though we rarely have hawks, 1 neighbor did loose a roo to one last year. And I do see them on occasion, sometimes in my tree. Plus have caught opossum and others in my yard. Heck, a few days ago there were 2 unfamiliar dogs with collars headed straight towards my cockerel pen. On top of that it's not like I can see what is going on if I'm not out there at the same time of day they happen to fly into my field of vision.

Being in the PNW, we do have about every possible predator around, I'm just shocked it took 6 years since I free range from sun up to sun down every single day.

Eagles are so pretty! I volunteered at a zoo rehab center, where I worked mostly with birds of prey.... hawks, owls, falcons, and eagles, just to name a few. It was an AMAZING experience to, just feet from them when I would go into their enclosure for cleaning and feeding! Also rehabbed raccoon, opossum, bob cats, and others. The owls gave me a good slice once, but what a rush!!! And all the different varieties. The bear were locked inside their shelter when I did their pen and put different things to eat hidden at different locations for enrichment. Should seen those guys work for a PBJ!

The red fox got to stay in during that time though... and he was so curious while his lady friend was a little shy. It was a great learning experience. Note, the animals at this zoo were native to California and there because they were injured or raised by humans and not able to return to the wild.

Yes, I love nature! Just not hunting my birds. Thank you for letting me share my experience. Sorry if it strayed to far off topic.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

if you live near a water source could be a mink, where i camp they had something get in and kill 2 chickens took the heads off, now am thinking that was a marten or mink. could also be a weasel or raccoon as well that would kill a whole flock.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

if you live near a water source could be a mink, where i camp they had something get in and kill 2 chickens took the heads off, now am thinking that was a marten or mink. could also be a weasel or raccoon as well that would kill a whole flock.

Yep, any of those family members... even skunk or ferret .

 

[Howard E]

There are only a handful of predators that will kill an entire flock at the same time. Generally those are dogs, raccoons and weasels or one of the weasel cousins. Biting the heads off is either coons or weasels, or one of the weasel cousins. OP said they removed them from the coop, but apparently not the run?

One of the signatures of one of the weasel cousins (can't remember which one, but may be a mink) is to move all the dead birds into a pile. OP didn't say if that happened or not.

But based on what information was provided, my guess is the little coon that was around last year has grown up.

Kills and kill patterns are also seasonal. I suspect what got your birds was an adult raccoon, hunting to feed a den full of little baby coons. Killed the birds and was going to take them home for baby coon supper.

If the run is secure and no way a raccoon could get in, let alone get an adult chicken out, then back to weasels, or one of the cousins. Those could easily get past 2 x 4 welded wire. They are climbers as well as diggers.

All predators are in the business of raising and feeding young these days, so expect predators to be trying hard to get in. A less than bomb proof coop and run is going to be tested.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Howard, you may be right.Almost always a Weasel(Mink, Ermine)Will pile up the chickens with the heads ripped of, a coon will just leave them sprawled everywhere with the heads gone.But, sometimes the coins can pull the chickens through the fence, Am I correct?

The only reason I'm not thinking dog is the missing heads.Dogs are a more of a "play till your dead then I'm going to leave you," Predador.

 

[bobbi-j]

My recent mink experience was the mink got in the coop, killed 5 but only removed one from the coop (tried to drag the carcass off to its hidey-hole under the coop, but couldn't get it through the hole). All the dead chickens had wounds to the backs of their heads. I agree that it's likely part of the mink/weasel family.