Dead Chickens

[Mudder]

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.

 

[fishing4sanity]

When I was raising pheasants and found dead birds with the heads chewed off, I assumed weasel. 15 birds in one night is a lot! The weasels around here are quite small and the heads would sometimes be missing but the bodies were always there. If the coop is pretty secure then I'd guess weasel, they can get in about anything.

 

[Cogreeny]

I’d guess weasel too I’ve caught them at my chicken house. Get a victor rat trap nail it to a wood post or the chicken house with the pan facing down put some chicken meat on there with very light wire and you’ll get him the rat trap it dispatches them easily

 

[teej89]

I always thought fox, in my experience we had the same thing happen. 12 chickens and a rooster in 1 night, found a hen in a horse stall 10 days later somehow she escaped and survived. I only say fox as we've never seen a weasel on the farm or near it.

We were living on the property and helping with the horses and the lady who owned the property loved those chickens as if they were her kids. Pretty sad, looked like a civil war battle scene in the morning.

 

[Dsnow9]

Sounds like a raccoon, had a neighbor loose over 30 in two nights. Stopped it in the acts the second night.

Skunks will also decapitate chickens but not usually in those numbers.

 

[Mudder]

Sounds like a raccoon, had a neighbor loose over 30 in two nights. Stopped it in the acts the second night.

Skunks will also decapitate chickens but not usually in those numbers.

Never thought of a Raccoon, seems plausible. The chewing the heads off tended to make me think it was a Martin (they can get up 4-5 pounds here), but could be a Raccoon. Raccoon is relatively rare here. Fox and Martins are more common. Raccoon are getting more common. I'll try both traps, the Fox trap and some Rat traps nailed to a post up off the ground. I'll have him check for tracks, Raccoon are usually pretty easy to identify.

The poor guy is already planning on getting some new chicks. Not much chance if it is a Fox, the Terminator 'I'll be back".

One farmer nearby was raising Ducks for food, he had hundreds. One Fox family wiped him out over a year period. I eventually figure out their path, from the nearby woods, through a culvert under the interstate and to his pond. I trapped the Vixen and eventually ran over the male on my way to the hunt. But I was too late, the damage had already been done. I never did get a shot at either one, they were to willy for me.

 

[sbhooper]

How enclosed is the coop? If it is tight, then it is probably a weasel, as the bigger animals would have a problem getting in. If there is a big enough opening to drag them out, then your buddy had better do some rebuilding. Weasels can get into pretty small holes, but not so much for the others.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

A skunk will chew heads and carry off. Rats too if the chickens are little.

 

[BrentD]

We had a mink kill some ducks. It was for sure a mink as it was caught in the act. Carefully built and electrified fences have helped a lot with invasions of predators and other unwanted species.

FWIW all the birds attacked by the mink, whether killed or not, were wounded in the neck just below the head or at the head-neck junction. I think this is characteristic of many predators however.

There are several species of weasels that could do the deed depending on were you live, in addition to the other mustelids, opposums, fox, misc. felid and canid species, though I don't think all of them could all carry a bird away.

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

Like others have said...raccoons will do this for sure....but lots of other options too.

 

[Elkoholic]

Agree, raccoons will do this. At least here in the Midwest raccoons are an issue raiding coops, I've had it happen. My coop is pretty bomb proof now, you'd be surprised of the smallest openings they can slip through.

 

[Cogreeny]

Kinda off topic but had a bear open the latch on my henhouse and he ate 12 big hens everything but their little yellow legs and feet even ate the feathers. Can’t imagine crapping out 12 chickens worth of bones and feathers. Got rubber buckshot and rubber slugs from the warden and waited for him he showed like clockwork he ain’t been back since.

 

[sharpshooter97]

Rat traps will kill a weasel, the weasel box set with some fresh bloody meat for bait and a dab of Anise oil for lure makes a good set. Lots of info available online or send me a message and I can explain in more detail.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Neighbor lost 12 to raccoon a few weeks back.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

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.

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

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.

 

[Muleyewyo90]

A few years ago I lost about a dozen chickens to an unknown animal. Heads were chewed off but bodies remained and they weren’t too torn up. I cut a hole in the coop used the chicken carcasses as bait behind a body trap. Ended up getting a mink 3 days later. Your buddy’s situation sounds like a mink or a weasel too me.

 

[jt4]

Raccoons were taking mine, but they would take the entire chicken and the only way you'd know was the few feathers left behind. Only 1-2 each night before I finally caught him.

 

[duckhunt]

Put up a trail cam. Im curious to see what it is. im sure it will come back.

 

[Don Fischer]

I had that happen years ago, it was raccoon's. Tell tail sign was they killed all our chickens before we caught one. Then as they finished up one they would come back and get another. raccoons are really hard on chicken's. At that time we weren't even aware there were any around here.