I've heard of skunks just taking the head and drinking the blood. A raccoon and/or possium will remove the head then take insides and maybe eat the body also.
What's taking my chicken's heads?
- Thread starter greenbird
- Start date
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Are you using a leg hold trap or conibear? Did you look around to see if you only caught a toe? You may have set the trap too heavy, when you set, try to set it so the tongue is barely into the groove of the trigger / pan. That way the slightest movement will set it off, alturnative is what chickenboots said and anchor it so it's a fight to get.
Are you using a leg hold trap or conibear? Did you look around to see if you only caught a toe? You may have set the trap too heavy, when you set, try to set it so the tongue is barely into the groove of the trigger / pan. That way the slightest movement will set it off, alturnative is what chickenboots said and anchor it so it's a fight to get.
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If it's a skunk, you will usually have some lingering scent, especially if you scared him with a trap snapping
If it's a skunk, you will usually have some lingering scent, especially if you scared him with a trap snapping
Something has been stealing my eggs and tonight I found a hen sans head/neck area. I know I have a skunk in the area, but my pen is fairly secure I doubt it can get inside and it's been around for months that I know of never any trouble before. Plus I didn't smell it at all tonight.
I'm wondering if rats would have done it? I found her wedged in a tight spot, wonder if she got there on her own and it was just a "crime of opportunity" since she was already "down" so to speak. Anyways, I set the live trap and posted my game cam and put out some rat bait. I have peanut butter so I plan on picking up some plaster of paris too.
I'll figure out what it was!
I'm wondering if rats would have done it? I found her wedged in a tight spot, wonder if she got there on her own and it was just a "crime of opportunity" since she was already "down" so to speak. Anyways, I set the live trap and posted my game cam and put out some rat bait. I have peanut butter so I plan on picking up some plaster of paris too.
I'll figure out what it was!
Good luck Tala, PM me if it don't work!
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Caught a good-sized raccoon last night, but I'm sure it hasn't been inside my pen (or there would have been more deaths, not to mention I don't think there are any gaps bigger than 2"). I generally don't shoot possums around here, so I had an idea that it might be a baby/young possum that can fit through the welded wire. At least possums are easy to catch in my box trap. Nothing has been after my rat baits.
Whatever it is, it always visits after the chickens go to roost, but before midnight (when I get off work and come to get eggs). I am going to hang my game cam from the ceiling of the pen pointing down over the nest box to try to get a picture that way without getting 5 thousand pictures of chickens milling around all day. When I'm off work and able to set a trap after the chickens go to bed, I will put the live box trap in the coop baited with an egg. I also ordered a smaller leg trap to add to my arsenal. Funny how buying a few chicks at TSC one spring can lead you to "full blown" trapping
Unfortunately, raccoon pelts only go for about $5. Heh
Caught a good-sized raccoon last night, but I'm sure it hasn't been inside my pen (or there would have been more deaths, not to mention I don't think there are any gaps bigger than 2"). I generally don't shoot possums around here, so I had an idea that it might be a baby/young possum that can fit through the welded wire. At least possums are easy to catch in my box trap. Nothing has been after my rat baits.
Whatever it is, it always visits after the chickens go to roost, but before midnight (when I get off work and come to get eggs). I am going to hang my game cam from the ceiling of the pen pointing down over the nest box to try to get a picture that way without getting 5 thousand pictures of chickens milling around all day. When I'm off work and able to set a trap after the chickens go to bed, I will put the live box trap in the coop baited with an egg. I also ordered a smaller leg trap to add to my arsenal. Funny how buying a few chicks at TSC one spring can lead you to "full blown" trapping
I'll share a story I was told when talking about the need for small sized fencing choices for chickens (another plug for hardware cloth, I guess). Raccoons will try to pull a chicken through the wire (or any small opening), if all they get is the head...fine. The story was that a chicken owner watched as two raccoons worked together to get his chickens. One raccoon was on the ground and scared the chickens who flew up. On top of the run/coop was the other raccoon who reached through the bars and grabbed the chicken by the head.
Just because you can't SEE where a predator might have gotten in, doesn't mean they didn't use the chickens themselves to find a way to get them. They are smarter than we think, so consider the crazy when it comes to protecting your birds.
Just because you can't SEE where a predator might have gotten in, doesn't mean they didn't use the chickens themselves to find a way to get them. They are smarter than we think, so consider the crazy when it comes to protecting your birds.
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oh yes, I'm fully aware of these things. My pen is simply too big to cover the entire thing with hardware cloth. Since the chickens are most at risk from raccoons at night time, I put something raccoon-proof around their roosting area. The same as others who have welded wire in the run, and a solid coop for night protection. There is actually 3 layers of fence on the outside, a cattle panel provides support, then welded wire keeps stuff out, and there's chicken wire too leftover from another project. The chicken wire has no damage (like from a raccoon) so I simply don't think that's what's happened.
COMBINED the lack of fence damage with the missing eggs, and eggs found out in the middle of the pen broken open (not a snake) with only the insides eaten (I've had egg eating chickens and they loooooove the shells, so it's not the girls doing it, plus they eat them right in the nest)
ETA: Considering that I've shot about 15 raccoons, and have had NO losses inside the pen (until now) I feel the welded wire is doing a superb job of protecting them under heavy raccoon pressure.
oh yes, I'm fully aware of these things. My pen is simply too big to cover the entire thing with hardware cloth. Since the chickens are most at risk from raccoons at night time, I put something raccoon-proof around their roosting area. The same as others who have welded wire in the run, and a solid coop for night protection. There is actually 3 layers of fence on the outside, a cattle panel provides support, then welded wire keeps stuff out, and there's chicken wire too leftover from another project. The chicken wire has no damage (like from a raccoon) so I simply don't think that's what's happened.
COMBINED the lack of fence damage with the missing eggs, and eggs found out in the middle of the pen broken open (not a snake) with only the insides eaten (I've had egg eating chickens and they loooooove the shells, so it's not the girls doing it, plus they eat them right in the nest)
ETA: Considering that I've shot about 15 raccoons, and have had NO losses inside the pen (until now) I feel the welded wire is doing a superb job of protecting them under heavy raccoon pressure.
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Do you have weasels or mink in your area? They take heads and can get through smaller types of fencing.
I wish I could do all our runs in hardware cloth (but pricey), but even doing the lower 2 feet all around is helpful.
I wish I could do all our runs in hardware cloth (but pricey), but even doing the lower 2 feet all around is helpful.
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I have thought of that, and have ordered a mink sized trap (less than $6) I've been reading up on it online. However I understand that weasels usually create quite a "blood bath" going on a killing spree, and that's just not what happened. I'm most inclined to think it was a young possum. They usually eat eggs and are usually the scavenger type, however they will take a chicken especially if it's an easy mark. I suspect my girl may have gotten herself trapped on her own, and that just made her easy pickings for an opportunist.
I still think the OP is likely facing a raccoon.
I have thought of that, and have ordered a mink sized trap (less than $6) I've been reading up on it online. However I understand that weasels usually create quite a "blood bath" going on a killing spree, and that's just not what happened. I'm most inclined to think it was a young possum. They usually eat eggs and are usually the scavenger type, however they will take a chicken especially if it's an easy mark. I suspect my girl may have gotten herself trapped on her own, and that just made her easy pickings for an opportunist.
I still think the OP is likely facing a raccoon.
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