who's the culprit?

[vtchickenlvr]

Went out to the coop this morning to find a whole bunch of feathers and one of my girls dead. The feathers belonged to her and also Harry Potter, our rooster. My poor RIR had her feathers and all of her back skin torn off. A hole had been chewed into her lower back. All of my birds were on the perch (high perches) when I went in and I believe this bird did not go up on the roosts at night. So, this is a predator. It had worked all of the trim and insulation away from the edges of one of the windows and made its way through a small opening (4 inches)in the inside chicken wire. Any ideas? I thought that I had read about something that liked the guts, but left the rest. The head appeared undamaged. All birds were afraid to go into coop tonight. We reinforced as best we could, but I am thinking whatever it is, will be back and find a way in. I have a light on tonight. We have had a goose living with the chickens, but had to put her down a couple of days ago. Seems a coincidence :/

 

[vtchickenlvr]

I think I know the answer to my own question - opossum.

 

[zazouse]

sorry for your loss .

Raccoons and possums often work the same areas when looking for food, you just may have more than one critter working your birds area , it sounds like the work of a coon and the possum came along for dinner after it was threw, i say this because i have never known a possum to do all the damage you have described but have seen a coon do this kind of thing.

Mabe someone else here can chime in on the kind of destruction they have seen a possum do.

 

[vtchickenlvr]

Believe it or not, this is the first time (10 years with this coop)anything has ever entered the coop and killed one of the chickens at night. I am pretty devastated, because it was brutal. And, now I'm thinking maybe can't be such a large predator, because the openings were so narrow?
I'm hoping that we make it through the night unscathed. Will music help to dissuade predators?

 

[zazouse]

Believe it or not, this is the first time (10 years with this coop)anything has ever entered the coop and killed one of the chickens at night. I am pretty devastated, because it was brutal. And, now I'm thinking maybe can't be such a large predator, because the openings were so narrow?
I'm hoping that we make it through the night unscathed. Will music help to dissuade predators?

Music will work for a very short time, once predators get use to it they will do what they do.

Now that the wild thing has found an easy meal he will be back, so get ready.
Do you have a live trap?
A trail cam will help you in finding out what all lurks around your birds when ya are not there, well Worth the money, i have 3 of them and ever once in a while i just set them out in the wooded area to see what is lurking at night.You would not believe what you will see on them if you have never used one before,.