Author Topic: What predator is this?? (Read 2943 times)

Bigeasy · « **on:** May 10, 2011, 03:02:31 PM »

Wasn't sure where to post this question, figured here was a good spot. Got a call from a friend of mine in CT this morning. She raises chickens for eggs, has about half dozen. They stay in an unsecured coop at night. She went out this morning, and found all of them dead. Their heads had been taken off, but none had been eaten, and none were missing.

She thinks it was an owl, as one has been hanging around the area, but I have my doubts. I am thinking some kind of weasel, but its just a guess. Not sure what predator would kill them all that way, then not eat or take at least one. Any ideas?

Larry

oldandslow · « **Reply #1 on:** May 10, 2011, 03:27:09 PM »

Skunks will do that. They are members of the weasel family also.

burntmuch · « **Reply #2 on:** May 10, 2011, 05:18:03 PM »

Ive heard racoons will do that. kill them all & not eat them. Ive had chickens for a year now. Ive shot 4 racoons & 4 skunks around my chicken coop. Oh yeah one possum too

Dee · « **Reply #3 on:** May 10, 2011, 05:33:31 PM »

A plain ole house cat will kill for the fun of it, but the head issue is possibly a coon.

chutesnreloads · « **Reply #4 on:** May 10, 2011, 06:37:51 PM »

Weasel would be my first guess too.I suppose finding tracks is out of the question by now?

flabbydan · « **Reply #5 on:** May 11, 2011, 05:03:47 AM »

Maybe a fisher?

montveil · « **Reply #6 on:** May 11, 2011, 06:22:23 AM »

I would suggest a trap and bait it with cat food.
Should catch what the culprit is and appropriate action can be taken for elimination. Keep resetting the trap as there may be more species.
It might be a domestic dog as they would kill with out consumption.
If you know someone with a trail camera you could ID the critter, especially if it is a dog as a trap would be ineffective.
In any case the critter WILL be back for more "fun"

Bigeasy · « **Reply #7 on:** May 11, 2011, 11:12:29 AM »

Thanks for the replies. She is going to "harden" the coop, and try it again. Lots of kids and pets in the area, so I don't see her setting traps. Her dog got along with the chickens, so I suggested maybe moving his dog house closer to the coop, might dissuade a predator from getting to close.

Larry

jlwilliams · « **Reply #8 on:** May 11, 2011, 11:16:27 AM »

I had a couple of birds go headless in CT too. There was some snow so we had tracks to give us some help. Turned out to be mink.

manofthe45 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 15, 2011, 12:20:05 PM »

Weasel

Stuart C. · « **Reply #10 on:** May 16, 2011, 10:43:13 AM »

Quote from: flabbydan on May 11, 2011, 05:03:47 AM

Maybe a fisher?

That's my guess.

cwlongshot · « **Reply #11 on:** May 16, 2011, 12:32:04 PM »

Quote from: Stuart C. on May 16, 2011, 10:43:13 AM

Quote from: flabbydan on May 11, 2011, 05:03:47 AM
Maybe a fisher?

That's my guess.

Doubtful as we do not have too many and they are solitary critters.

How rural is she? if not so, I would lean to a skunk, but short tailed weasel or ermine is a strong possibility if she is nearer the shore.

CW

ratdog · « **Reply #12 on:** July 10, 2011, 07:27:08 AM »

i had falcon get in my pigeon pen ate about 6 heads only i tru a coat over it and slaped the crap out of it then let it go i have seen owls kill that way but only one bird .racoons like to kill them all same as weasel i shoot them dead.the best rifle 12 gauge #4 buck same on foxes. that why there are very few pheasants around here any more.

manatee1947 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 12, 2011, 06:22:53 PM »

bet on the coons. Over the years I have lost several dozen birds to coons, killed 7 0r 8, but eventually they beat me, I have no chickens right now.

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 12, 2011, 06:48:18 PM »

Weasle, they like the blood.

Elwood · « **Reply #15 on:** July 13, 2011, 07:31:17 PM »

My aunt had this very same thing happen in Washington state. She caught a mink in the act and killed it.
Elwood

jdt48653 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 19, 2011, 02:51:37 PM »

i had a red fox do the same thing to my hens.

Singleshotsam · « **Reply #17 on:** August 30, 2011, 02:53:15 AM »

Sounds like a weasel to me as well. My mother in law had several chickens killed a while back. Same situation, heads off, body's left. weasels will go out of their way to drink the blood.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #18 on:** August 30, 2011, 04:27:24 AM »

my daughter in law was having the same problem with the heads gone but the chicken not eaten. She lost several then watched one evening and saw a coon was doing it. She got rid of the coon and no more were killed.

mannyrock · « **Reply #19 on:** September 14, 2011, 02:03:50 PM »

I had the exact same thing happen to me, with 12 young turkey poults. All lay dead in the dust, headless. No blood left in them.

The majority of my neighbors in the rural area told me immediately that it was a weasal. A few said it was an owl.

Unfortunately, we had both in abundance on our place. So, I never figured out which.

Mannyrock

Lon371 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 14, 2011, 02:31:15 PM »

I say neighbor who likes to sleep in.

Lonny

DANNY-L · « **Reply #21 on:** September 30, 2011, 02:47:03 AM »

Weasal,although on the farm a tom-cat will eat the head of of newborn but that is so the female will come back into heat.

Lon371 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 01, 2011, 02:07:49 AM »

Bigeasy

Did you ever figure out what the critter was?

Lonny

Bigeasy · « **Reply #23 on:** October 01, 2011, 07:16:06 AM »

She has since replaced the chickens, and moved her dogs house next to the coop, along with now making sure the coop door is closed at night, and fixing a few gaps in the wire. No problems since. Never did figure out what it was for sure, though I am thinking some kind of weasel, and not an owl or coon as she suspected.

Larry

Flash · « **Reply #24 on:** November 08, 2011, 10:09:54 AM »

A weasel will often bite the throat and lap the blood up until the chicken bleeds out and dies. Then do the same to the others.

evidrine · « **Reply #25 on:** November 08, 2011, 10:17:06 AM »

Chupacabra!

Sourdough · « **Reply #26 on:** December 07, 2011, 05:49:04 AM »

You know when I first clicked on this thread, I had the thought someone would bring up the Chupacabra.

Too bad she did not set out a box trap and catch the culprit. Would have liked to know what it was myself.

tcencore3006 · « **Reply #27 on:** December 07, 2011, 05:53:49 AM »

Hang some wind chimes on the door of the coop and sit out with a 22 and a flashlight. Raccoons don't mind a jingle jangle. Who would've thought my wifes pretty windchimes could be a tool to eliminate pests.

bagdadjoe · « **Reply #28 on:** December 23, 2011, 07:49:47 AM »

Voodoo practitioner...although they will normally take the feet to make a necklace or mojo hand....