What eats the heads off of chickens?

[tallyho8]

My neighbor has had a chicken killed for the last two days. Something just eats the head off and leaves the rest. I can't find any tracks in the area because the grass is too thick and the ground too hard. I know that my cats will eat the heads off of rats and leave the rest but these chickens are too big for the cats.

His chickens are in a fenced-in area that dogs can not get into.

I caught some coon in the last couple of months that were eating my dog feed and tearing up my horse feed but have not seen any coon signs lately.

I am suspecting possum though I haven't seen any lately.

My neighbor is putting out a trap tonight with vienna sausages. I told him a sardine can would work better but he doesn't have any.

Ideas?

 

[dave1949]

Mink or some other weasel family critter? Maybe they are going for the blood mostly, or carrying the head back to a den to feed young?
Dave.

 

[LMTC]

BTDT. Found 4-5 hens like that 15 years ago or so. They roosted in the barn at night, 8-10 feet off the ground on various pieces of framing. Finally resolved to sit out all night in a shop that adjoined that section of the barn. What follows is purely circumstantial evidence, but.....first night I saw a HUGE skunk come out from under a wooden-floored pen and begin climbing a 4x6 pole toward the chickens. Yes, I too had always heard skunks could not climb. Wrong. I watched. I made a bit of noise (intentionally) and he came down and went back under this wooden floor. I got some sweet feed from a closed bin (the aroma will bring in all sorts of critters), put it in a paper feed sack, and left the sack sitting near where he disappeared, angled so he could get into it....this was a 50# sack. Sure enough, he came out again and crawls into the sack. Once it is clear he is eating at the bottom, I put a dozen or so holes ( just about .223" in diameter) in the bag for ventilation, quickly folded the top over, and took it outside and left it in a field. Actually never did get much odor from it. No more chickens with their heads eaten off, and we had chickens for several more years. So what was eating the chicken heads? Never saw him do it, but my money was on the skunk.

 

[Bird]

I'd agree with your thoughts about it being a possum, unless you have ferrets or weasels in your area. I've no personal experience with ferrets and weasels, but I've heard they'll do that.

 

[dcyrilc]

We had a feral mink that got our chickens and phesants years back. Got him in a pan trap. Now he's mounted on the mantle. He did just what you are describing.

 

[beenthere]

I'd say weasel too.
Here is info on predators and varmints.

Livestock and predation identification page

 

[Dozernut]

Sounds like a Raccoon to me. When the kids were small and in 4-H they had some show chickens they put in small carrier cages that evening. Next morning when they went to get the cages they found chickens with heads, wings, and legs chewed off. The cages were small and the coons would reach into the cage and pull out what they could and dine on what they managed to pull through the wire. I set traps and caught five coons who kept coming back, they are now in a better place! I would strongly suspect the masked marauder as your culprit.

 

[jinjimbob]

Sounds like raccoons are reaching in through the fence and pulling the chickens that walk by, the head is all that will pull through the fence holes.

Double fence the coup, with a gap between the two is all that will stop it.

 

[beenthere]

Reading the link I posted, tells how the racoons do it to chickens. And it is different from weasels. The head, and only the head, seems to be the clue.
Racoons go beyond the head, and eat more "parts".

 

[two_bit_score]

My neighbor has had a chicken killed for the last two days. Something just eats the head off and leaves the rest. I can't find any tracks in the area because the grass is too thick and the ground too hard. I know that my cats will eat the heads off of rats and leave the rest but these chickens are too big for the cats.

His chickens are in a fenced-in area that dogs can not get into.

I caught some coon in the last couple of months that were eating my dog feed and tearing up my horse feed but have not seen any coon signs lately.

I am suspecting possum though I haven't seen any lately.

My neighbor is putting out a trap tonight with vienna sausages. I told him a sardine can would work better but he doesn't have any.

Ideas?

Probably skunks.