Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio
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Posted: 8/23/2025 11:19:57 PM EDT
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Something got in the barn last night and killed six chickens. They were about three months old. I found them all in the same corner. Three completely intact. One with a gouged eye, but intact otherwise. The other two had their breasts eaten pretty good. I identified a couple of spots where the predator(s) could have gotten in. One did not appear to have any discernible disturbance. The other, under the barn door, had a few strands of grey hairs with black tips. The gap was big enough for a small-to-medium raccoon to squeeze through. I'm thinking raccoon, possum, or rat, in that order. Does anything else seem more likely? |
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Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio
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Interesting. I thought they only went after eggs. I smell skunk occasionally when I lock up at night, but I did not smell any in the barn this morning. I generally like them because they go after yellow jackets very aggressively--I have had no yellow jackets at all this summer. I had a broody turkey hen that was sitting on almost 20 eggs, turkey and chicken, at one point earlier this year, but the eggs kept disappearing. That's when I noticed a that something had dug under the barn side exactly next to the turkey. I assume that whatever did that was snatching the eggs. I noticed more digging along that same side earlier today. Do skunks do that? |
"Do not overthink it, gentlemen. It's only a gunfight, not an IRS tax audit." - Louis Awerbuck
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Look into electric netting and electric fencing. Not perfect, but I don't lose chickens behind a hot fence. Everything eats a chicken. I've lost them the to coons, dogs, snakes, and who knows what else. The missing eggs could be from a snake. Usually when eggs disappear around my place I'll find a snake in the area. I have had a coon reach through a regular 2x4 fence and snatch eggs from under a turkey. Didn't bother her, but the eggs were eaten on the other side of the fence. |
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Stray cats were responsible for killing easy 100 chickens and about a dozen baby bunnies when we first got up here. Some crazy broad in the area had several hundred cats, none of which she took care of. Sounds just like your situation- killed left in place with maybe a bit eaten off. I would keep your eye out for strays. And we had 3 outside dogs when that was happening, so the idea that having a dog will scare the cats away definitely did not work. |
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possums are the biggest culprits here. But they usually bite the heads off. Skunks are a possibility. Raccoons and foxes, too. I've found the best way to safeguard against predators is to lock them up in a secure roost at night. My coop is maybe 6x6, with sheet metal sides and roof. Nesting boxes on the back wall. They generally lay their eggs in the boxes but sleep on top of them at night. At dusk every night, they file into the coop and hop up to their roost. All I have to do is walk out there and latch the door shut. |
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Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio
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Originally Posted By cjk: We had lots of trouble with raccoons when we had chickens. Got a game camera? No, but a neighbor offered me his. I should set one or more up to see what's digging along the side of the barn. I caught a small possum inside the barn last night. I'm sure the rest will make a visit too within the next few days. |
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Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio
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been there, done that. have killed many raccoons and coyotes protecting or avenging my chickens. I stalk the property under NVG and sometimes thermals. I have a better success rate with a live trap and PB/marshmallow toast inside. Then kill and dispose when I'm in the mood. |
| I am a wildlife control agent. The most destructive and scary part is domestic dogs. I personally lost a dozen hens…killed but not a bite eaten. Netting covers hawks well. I trap nest raider and coyotes to extinction. Don’t over look the trailer park adjoining your property, some Marlboro smoking dirty night gown mamaw has a “sweet” pitbull. |
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Originally Posted By BeastOfTheEast: I am a wildlife control agent. The most destructive and scary part is domestic dogs. I personally lost a dozen hens…killed but not a bite eaten. Netting covers hawks well. I trap nest raider and coyotes to extinction. Don’t over look the trailer park adjoining your property, some Marlboro smoking dirty night gown mamaw has a “sweet” pitbull. This is the absolute truth. We don't lose many birds, but when we do, odds are it's dogs running loose. They hunt for sport and kill everything they can before they get caught. OP you had some eaten though, and that's more likely coon, possum or as some others said, weasel, rat, etc. We have possums here, but it's the coons that get our adult chickens. Ain't sayin the possums won't. It's just the coons that do massive destruction. Possums don't usually take more than they want to eat at that time, for us. |
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Multiple chickens with heads chewed and chests ripped open are a tell tale of raccoons. They will decimate a whole flock like that pretty quickly. I lost 29 of 30 meat birds this springs like that. The pathetic little one that survived came waddling out into a sea of chick carcass carnage. |
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We lost 4 in one night. They were ate alive through their backs to get to the eggs. Went out the next night and intercepted a family of raccoons heading back for the rest. Raccoons are no more. Surviving hens now roost up in the rafters instead of the designated roosts. |