what the heck is killing my chickens!?! (Graphic)

[purpletree23]

If it comes back day after day leave the hens locked up tight and put out poisoned food. Opossum or raccoon you will soon find out.

 

[Gonzo]

During the Day... I would say by the looks of it a dog. Our Westie got ahold of one of our cochins this summer.. We thought everyone was put up, he had to slipped out. Carnage was almost Identical. Hope you figure it out soon!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

It's time for CSI: Poultry Division!

Did they all look sort of like that? With the feathers chewed off the necks? Is it just the feathers & skin or also the meat off the necks? Where are you finding them? Near a fence with the body on one side & the neck & head on the other?

Raccoons are opportunists and if they can find more & better food during the daytime they'll change their sleeping habits. Just because a raccoon is out during the day doesn't mean it's rabid. Often they'll grab a bird through the fence wire and pull it through to eat it, often starting with the head.

Dogs will often just play with a chicken it catches, gnawing on it like a chew toy but not eating off much meat, just skin & feathers. I've had birds killed by dogs who just had their necks broken but little other damage. Other times, especially with the roosters, they gnaw on the tail feathers.

Are your birds kept in a coop/pen, or out free-ranging? Are there trees/woods near their coop? Is your lot fenced? How easy is it for a dog to get in?

Certainly strengthen your coop security & the fences around them. Maybe you could put electric wire around your coop and keep it on during the day. If possible, rake the ground smooth around your coops, perhaps even broadcast some flour around it. Then you can better see & identify the tracks of any animal coming around.

Put your deer-hunting tree stand up near the coop and wait to see your predator.

 

[gsim]

I would guess a dog if that is where you found her. Coon would eat the head, beak, comb, and all. Nothing eaten is always a dog. A wild pred will always eat something unless scared off.

 

[pine top]

no. this is a house cat kill no duobt in my mind .

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
Why? Anything is possible, but I've not seen a full grown chicken taken by a house cat--and I have 4 of my own plus a changing number of fosters that come thru here. I've never even seen a songbird carcass

look like that from a cat. Dogs on the other hand, especially one that is intent on "playing" do seem to like to hold a bird down and pluck out the feathers, but not actually feed on the carcass.

Cats do kill, and often they kill just because they like it, but I don't see a cat going to the trouble of plucking without doing some chewing.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

I don't think it was a cat at all. Dog will pull feathers like that off the back and the neck while holding a chicken down. I caught my GP doing that to my pet hen, about pulled all the skin off of her back. Dog is gone to another home with NO chickens and my hen did survive but only by a few minutes did I catch it in time.

Racoons usually will eat the head, unless it was pulled through a fence but doesn't look to be the case. Keep watch and see what did this as it will be back for more fun and games.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

I gonna go with dog here...head intact with a skint neck. I've seen cats that have taken down a full grown chicken only to gnaw on the head a little bit, then walk off and leave it lying there.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Raccoon, they like the combs.
I lost 6 to a cats, cats like the chest area not the head.

I feel so sorry for you,