Will Coons kill Chickens??

[Anonymous-0]

Something killed the neighbors chickens...got all but two. He thinks Coons got them....would this be something coons would do.... or is it the coyote in the area???

 

[Anonymous-0]

Fur sure, coons, skunks, possums, cats, dogs and of course hatchets.

 

[NBAllen]

Sure thing!

I lost two pullets several years ago - they were sleeping in an outdoor pen (just a chicken wire fence w/ roof) and the momma coon thought she found dinner.

I was more careful about shutting the hens in the coop after that.

Could also be a skunk or a dog. Do you have bobcats, weasels, ferrets, or other carnivores around?

 

[Coloken]

You better believe it. More than one at a time. If some are stuffed into the water pan, that is sure proof of coons.

 

[Anonymous-0]

If yopu have mink around I'd suspect them

 

[KIP in MX]

If they were killed but not eaten, my money is on a dog(s).

 

[Lou]

How do you think Kentucky fried chicken got started ?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Coyotes from what I have seen do not leave anything behind except maybe some feathers, if that much.

 

[Anonymous-0]

My neighbor who raises game chickens looses more to coons and cats than anything else. He sets traps and catches more coons than anything around his chickens. As far as I know he has never lost any to coyotes, but dogs are hard on them as well.

 

[Rootsy]

Lost 3 pullets a week or so ago... came out one morning and 3 of them in a neat pile next to the inside of the pen fence... all headless... nothing else touched...

Been making sure to close them up tight in the barn now...

 

[Katharine]

It's more than likely the coons in my opinion, as they are very ambidextrious lil bugger's and can reach thru with either of their tiny hands and pull the chickens over to their side and an shred them. They will also shred and kill all the other ones just because they CAN it seems. Lost 8 pullets to them once, had the babies in rabbit cages that we had been moving around on the grass. Came out in the morning and there were just pieces of them EVERYWHERE for a 30 yard radius. Wings, legs, beaks you name it, it was a masacare. Had to clean it up before the kids found it. HORRIBLE!
Now we use 12' x 14' x 8' chain link dog kennels with hard permanent roofs, pull down sun shades and concrete blocks 'round the perimiter on the outside. Mounted the nest boxes to the side of the barn and it has worked perfectly for almost two years.
Ever see a Bobcat carry a favorite goose up a tree? Not pretty either!

Katharine

 

[Anonymous-0]

Haven't heard any of you mention a fox.
I thought they were the most common thief of all.
The old timers always talk about a fox in the henhouse.
I hear they'll take one and bury it somewhere and come back for another and another all night long and then won't return to the farm for weeks.
I also heard a story from the neighbor where he was in his kitchen drinking a cup of coffee one morning and happened to look out the window just as a fox poked his head around the corner of the barn. The chickens were going about their business in the yard and the fox jumped out and grabbed one so quick and silently that the other chickens didn't even know it happened. He said he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself.

 

[Rootsy]

Owls will kill chickens also... Set a conibear trap on a fence post outside the chicken coop with a bit of meat on it... you'll find out quickly if a winged friend is licking his chops checking out your chickens...

I leave a dish of fly bait and coke outside of the door into the pen from inside the barn... I generally find the coon or possum somewhere inside the barn close by in the morning... they generally make it 10 - 15 feet before the keel over...

 

[big hunter]

headless is a weasel or mink

 

[Anonymous-0]

Could be a possum. I had it to kill my bantams once and they was in an enclosed pen. Reckon he gottem when they got close the the fence.

 

[old]

YES coons do and will kill chickens. I lost almost all my chickens last year to coons and have since hooked up a hot wire around the pen plus added a better lock system to the coops
Hobby farm

 

[Joe(TX)]

In a heartbeat!

 

[buickanddeere]

Coons will kill chickens & turkeys until their bellies are full.
Rather than eating the birds the coons just tear open the bird to eat the grain out of the crop(s).

 

[1936]

Coyotes dearly love cats!

 

[Anonymous-0]

"Will Coons kill Chickens??"

Nope!! They just have them over for Chicken dinner...LOL

 

[Anonymous-0]

"Will Coons kill Chickens??"

Nope!! They just have them over for Chicken dinner...LOL

 

[NutsaboutCombines]

Common cats will also mutilate birds in a similar manner, as they also can grab/pull appendages through spaces in wires. Not saying cats are always to blame, but I've seen it happen all too often when NO raccoons were present.

Unfortunately, I've seen the whole bobcat thing, too. Bigger cats will often tree their kill to prevent other predators from taking it.

 

[NutsaboutCombines]

Headless is also a lot of other things, too.

 

[NutsaboutCombines]

Absolutely NOT!!!!!!

Owls are protected by both federal and state laws! It's not worth serving 20 years of hard time [without parole] at Leavenworth for killing a bird that may be a suspect. If caught, you WILL be duely prosecuted by BOTH sides and it will NOT be considered "double jeopardy."

No, I'm not saying owls are innocent. I happen to know from experience that the great horned owl is one of the most vicious, fearless and quite voracious raptors ever! I've NEVER lost any poultry or gamebirds to any other species. I don't recommend pole traps because the bird you kill may be anything from barn owl down to a turkey vulture--both harmless and most beneficial species.

I've NEVER observed any bird strikes among the barn owls, even when nesting pigeons and their squabs are so readily available among the rafters the owls use for roosts and shelter. The long-eared and barred owls just stay in the woods or surrounding fields, but the GH's come right into the yard, under the light, to eat crickets with the coons, opossum, fox and even occasional skunk. If that owl is more interested in crickets than its favorite prey the skunk, more power to her, but I sure get the willies when I see one atop my quail pen, even if she can't get in!

GH's are in the top 3 big owls of North America, but act like they are as big and powerful as a fighter plane! No wonder they are prized by falconers who want to hunt big birds as well as most any small game with them!