Dead Chickens

[el unit]

Raccoons and skunks have decimated and decapitated a number of our chickens in CO and MT. We forgot to close the door a couple nights and woke up to a complete mess.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Chupacabra will suck the heads right off'a them chickens! 〽

 

[Arctic_Snow_Seeker]

Another vote for raccoon.

 

[KipCarson]

When the culprit is trapped, please be sure to check back in and let us know who was the guilty party!

 

[walking buffalo]

Owls can wreak havoc as well.

I used to raise pheasants and recall the first time going to the aviary and finding a dozen pheasants dead and headless.
Happened a few nights in a row.
Finally figured out that an owl was killing them.
It would fly over the coop and flush the pheasants into the wire, then pull their heads off from the outside, leaving the bodies in the coop.

The solution was to paint a clear glass jug with silver paint on the inside and use this as a "scare-owl".
The paint made the bottle into a mirror, reflected movement. Worked much better than a plastic owl.
Had to wire that bottle down tight as the owl would attack it, but would not hunt while the bottle was standing tall.

 

[Sytes]

Had a black bear climb on top of our chicken house. Tore my door to the slide-out for their bedding area.

I popped a full mag of .40 into the ground... I fear he may not return during season.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Something killed our last 2 chickens a couple of years ago. We didn't hear a thing. My wife found the heads and the entrails were scattered across our horse arena. Whatever it was only ate the breast meat off the chickens and ripped the rest apart.
We do have lots of coyotes around but I thought they would have just killed the chickens and taken the entire bird away to eat. I couldn't find any tracks.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Squatch knows the good portions! 〽

 

[Mudder]

When the culprit is trapped, please be sure to check back in and let us know who was the guilty party!

So far whatever it was hasn't been back. All his Hens are dead, just one mean old Rooster remaining. I've checked for tracks after a rain and all I saw was some Rat tracks. He is planning on restocking his flock in the spring.

 

[Dsnow9]

So far whatever it was hasn't been back. All his Hens are dead, just one mean old Rooster remaining. I've checked for tracks after a rain and all I saw was some Rat tracks. He is planning on restocking his flock in the spring.

It could be rats

 

[idnative1948]

+1 on the damn skunks!

 

[lynlan1819]

A buddy had his Chicken Coop raided last night. Something killed 15 Chickens. I said it sounded like a Weasel or a Mink. The heads were chewed off, typical Weasel, Martin or Mink. He said he thinks it is a Fox because something carried off some of the Chickens. In my experience, Fox will kill one or two then carry the prey off to a secluded spot or the burrow, then repeat when it gets hungry again. I told him to look under any nearby trees or barns for feathers, look up for Weasel. In winter Weasels are partial to rafters in a garage or barn.

I say it was a Weasel, he says Fox, what do you think?

Really sad, this guy really enjoyed his Chickens, he just built a new insulated and heated coop.

My live traps are either For Fox or Rats. The Fox trap may work for a Weasel? The Fox trap is a little big for a Weasel, the Rat Trap a little small.

Time for a Trail Cam.

 

[JTHOMP]

Chickens have to have the most terrifying lives of any domestic animal. Last week I had a chicken killed. All the guts were eaten and the body left. I assumed it was a coon. Caught a coon the following night, and since at night have kept the chickens in the more secured part of the coop. I continued with the traps, but kept having them messed with until I finally set two and tied them to posts Sunday night. That night caught two coons.

Monday morning I had already left for work and my girl friend was getting ready for work. The chickens were out of the coop and free ranging in the back yard as normal when she heard commotion and saw foxes chasing them. She ran outside with a broom stick and chased them off. Then heard another chicken being attacked in the front yard. In the excitement, chickens were flying from the backyard to the front to flee the foxes. Also caught up in the excitement in the front yard was my cur dog pup that joined in on the chicken chase. There's feathers all over the place but luckily all chickens seem to be fine.

Disney needs to make a remake of Fox and the Hound where the pair team up and hunt together.

 

[devon deer]

We don't have weasals or mink in Australia but we do have foxes and they'll do exactly that. The woman that owned our place before us lost 30 chooks in a night to a fox.

About a month ago my mother inlaw caught a fox killing her chickens, had crushed the heads of 4 before she shooed him off.

I guess they all appear to have a similar modus operandi, when we raised pheasants last year a weasel got in and killed lots and chewed off the heads, but like you @Aussie_hunter_JD a few years back a fox got in the pen, it killed every single one.
Cheers
Richard

 

[Mudder]

I guess they all appear to have a similar modus operandi, when we raised pheasants last year a weasel got in and killed lots and chewed off the heads, but like you @Aussie_hunter_JD a few years back a fox got in the pen, it killed every single one.
Cheers
Richard

I raised some Pheasants, mostly for wild breeding stock, Fox used to get in the pen periodically, the majority of them died by beating themselves to death on the wire trying to get away. I typically shoot 20+ Fox a year on my lease.

The Modus Operandi for the Fox around here is to kill and carry off 2-3, then repeat some days later, until there are none left. One guy that raised eating Ducks for profit lost, according to him, a thousand Ducks over a two year period.

 

[wa_archer]

Thats what I was thinkin sounds like a couple raccoons to me

 

[Losing_Sanity]

I've live trapped both skunks and raccoons that were eating my chickens. They never left the bodies though. I actually miss that about having chickens. Trying to outsmart the predators was more enjoyable than anything else to do with the birds.

Somehow I get a vision of Bill Murray as the greens keeper in Caddyshack...

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Somehow I get a vision of Bill Murray as the greens keeper in Caddyshack...

You might not be too far off

 

[devon deer]

This one won't eat anymore chickens, but the main reason was the farmer is lambing at the moment, so its important to keep on top of these crafty killers!
So I went out with the night vision and .243 last night, job done, for now, back out tomorrow night, at least I don't mix with other people when doing this, well maybe the occasional young healthy friend!
Stay healthy and safe friends
Cheers
Richard

 

[Mallardsx2]

Raccoons will kill them all in a night and not hardly eat any. Seen this personally.