Help Identifying Predator

[SandyRiverChick]

After 20years of actually bragging about how I've never had Predator issues it did happen night before last. It's all my fault too, I got busy with Easter dinner and decided "I never have issues so I'll just leave the door open (I typically close the kennel door after they go into the coop to roost.) Kennel/Run is 6ft. chain link. My Medium to Large sized coop itself is is predator proof. Something got one of my hens and it must have been at dust when they were going in to roost. All others made it inside and are fine.

We didn't get a pic, this was the scene: 2 feather piles, some feather and skin clusters; chicken on stomach with head intact; back of neck and back were featherless and skinless but not hollowed out.

I feel like so terrible/guilty. Poor thing depended on me for protection since we don't have a rooster (re-thinking that now,) and I failed. Yesterday I set up a cam and when I wasn't out there I watched my phone "like a hawk." Bad pun... but nothing so far. And obviously I'll never leave the door open again. What do you think it is? We have everything except for snakes here in the Villages of Mt. Hood, forest. We're on the river so we have Eagles, Hawks, Owls.

 

[SilverBirds]

So sorry about your hen! Sounds to me like either a dog, weasel/mink who kill for fun and don't eat the birds.

 

[aart]

Did you find it in the morning or at night after dinner?

 

[Weeg]

Sounds to me like either a dog, weasel/mink who kill for fun and don't eat the birds.

Agreed. It is odd to me that whatever it was only killed one. Seems like likely a dog at that point. Weasels usually don't skin them, just leave the body. A dog might give up if the others were roosting and not running. Maybe this one was lagging behind?

 

[My Bagurks]

I have talked to several people about predators and raccoons have a tendency to go for the necks/heads. I have verified this to a certain extent. Lost a chicken much in the same way you did, and put a game camera up and the next night, not long after sunset, two raccoons showed up investigating the crime scene. But they did not take the whole body, and they made a mess of the hen.

 

[SilverBirds]

Agreed. It is odd to me that whatever it was only killed one. Seems like likely a dog at that point. Weasels usually don't skin them, just leave the body. A dog might give up if the others were roosting and not running. Maybe this one was lagging behind?

That was my thought. Maybe a dog came by in the evening, grabbed the one, and everyone else fled into the coop? Because a dog sees the chickens as a toy. Rips out all the feathers to here the squawks and loses interest when it no longer makes noises or tries to run away.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Did you find it in the morning or at night after dinner?

Found in morning.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I had a Newfie chicken killer so I agree after watching him "pin" chickens. BUT I really don't think it was dog. I neglected to mention that outside of the kennel they "free-range," I call it free range because I don't think flimsy chicken wire fencing stops anything. But indeed I have chicken wire fencing around a half acre of woods that they "free-range." And I checked all of it, no place a dog could have gotten through..... I wonder if it was something that was actually scared off by the other hens? Or maybe my dog came out and barked at it? We know we have racoons, I've seen their prints at the river. I've seen so many prints at the river for that matter. Bobcat, cougar, we even had a bear a few years ago.... But nothing big went through the chicken wire part. I did have an old shelf that was up against the kennel (another dumb thing I did Sunday, put it out there to burn later.) I moved that as it would have really helped something crawl over the chain link.....

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I have talked to several people about predators and raccoons have a tendency to go for the necks/heads. I have verified this to a certain extent. Lost a chicken much in the same way you did, and put a game camera up and the next night, not long after sunset, two raccoons showed up investigating the crime scene. But they did not take the whole body, and they made a mess of the hen.

Ugh, hate those little a holes. My neighbor see's them more than I do because I have loud dogs. When I asked her if she has seen them lately she said "oh yeah, they're so cute." NO they are not cute and I asked her what their food source is! We all have feral cat's but I only put their food out in the am and take it back a few hours later. I fear she leaves food out all the time. I know she has bird feeders and not very good garbage storage too. She actually had the bear getting into her garbage a few years ago. So if we have coon issues, they won't be going away unless I make them go away...... Just not sure it was them.... Also when I say "neighbor," they are about an acre away.....

 

[Weeg]

That was my thought. Maybe a dog came by in the evening, grabbed the one, and everyone else fled into the coop? Because a dog sees the chickens as a toy. Rips out all the feathers to here the squawks and loses interest when it no longer makes noises or tries to run away.

Exactly. Seems like other wild predators would have caught more than one. If the others hunkered down in the coop, it would have lost interest.