What's taking my hens?

[Psychochick]

I lost a couple of hens recently and can't find what is taking them. Whatever it is is taking the bodies but leaving the heads and they're going in daylight hours. Everything I come across seems to leave the bodies and take the heads or take the whole bird. Any ideas? The poor little blighters are going on 24 hour lock down until this is sorted out.

 

[FrankHomestead]

My guess would be a dog

 

[Psychochick]

My one experience of a dog attack the bugger didn't pick them off one at a time though, instead killing 4 and maiming one in the attack. Also it was quite a clean break when I found their heads, which it certainly wasn't when I cleaned up after the dog.

 

[junebuggena]

Pictures of your setup might help narrow down the list of possible suspects.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

That is odd.

I wonder if it could possibly be a human thief???? (Not to accuse the neighbors or anything, but there are a lot of homeless people in some areas. A human would want to stop the squawking as quickly as possible and obviously want the body to eat....but why leave evidence then???)

I agree. Dogs generally attack the whole flock, maiming and killing. You might have a few with a head off, but the bodies beside.

Coons will eat the heads off, leaving the body for later.

Hawks eviscerate. Sometimes taking the heads, other times not.

Coyotes carry off the whole thing, so will a hungry mongrel, and I think so will fox.

But I've not dealt with minks, bobcat, or cougar to know their habits.

What kind of predators do you have in your area? Are you located far out or in suburbia?

In America or elsewhere?

I agree with Junebugenna, a photo of your set up would help.

So sorry for your losses. A webcam may definitely be in order tonight.

LofMc

 

[Psychochick]

They were completely free range during the day until I found today's head, now they're on lock-down behind 1/4 inch steel mesh. The head was found in woodland behind the covered run.

I'm in the UK so no racoons or coyotes. We're a bit of a funny set up, we're an old farm but technically in the city centre so we get rats and foxes at least. I do know that there's a stray eagle on the loose but I don't think they go into woodland. We may have pine martens, weasels and stoats and probably do have the occasional badger.

A lady up the road had an eglu with quail and something went in overnight and picked them off from in the eglu one at a time, so I'm wondering if it's the same thing, in which case it would be small. I'll get a photograph of the set-up tomorrow, it's too dark to see now.

If it was a human there would have been lots of screaming and yelling and blood on the floor, my cock is a complete a-hole where humans are concerned but apparently useless otherwise. I'll bet he was in the coop, covering his eyes and cowering saying 'please don't hurt me, I'm too cute to die.'

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yeah...my boy screams a lot while the racoon is hawling away his girls.

I looked up an article I read awhile back on the various signs of predators.

In it, it does list that a raccoon will at times eat the head and leave the body, but then other times, leave the head and take the body.

While this is aimed at the US species, I should think it would apply to UK species as well.

If it is a raccoon, you absolutely, positively, must capture it or you will have no chickens. That is true with most wild predators. They will come back for the rest until they are all gone.

In the state where I live, we are allowed to live trap and euthanize any predator that attacks our livestock (unless, of course, it is an endangered species or bird of prey).

Hopefully you'll catch the critter soon.
LofMc

http://ouroneacrefarm.com/poultry-predator-identification-a-guide-to-tracks-and-sign/

 

[junebuggena]

My guess is a pine martin or polecat.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...and Great Horned Owls decapitate and can haul body away.

That eagle may be bolder than you think.
LofMc

 

[Psychochick]

I don't know if the eagle's wingspan can get into the trees, it's possible but it has a 1.5 meter wingspan. I wondered about the pine marten/polecat. Equally it could be an owl, but I thought they generally took the head and neck and left the rest. Certainly all the dead pigeons round here tend to be missing heads, not have it left. I'll photograph the scene of crime tomorrow and show you where she was found.