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What is eating the heads of chickens
Posted by Billy Foster at 2014-08-11 05:50:04
I figure with all the chickens out there owned by porchers someone will have had a similar experience and may know what critter I am dealing with.
We have 2 batches of broilers on pasture in 2 different electronet fencing paddocks, on Friday and Sunday night something has gotten in the fence and taken the heads off a few chickens. The heads are all they touched, and no sign of the heads were left. The first night it was a batch of Cornish crosses, I found 2 chickens right by the fence and 3 more with neck wounds farther within the fence, I figured whatever it was grabbed them though the fence. I couldn’t figure out how, whatever it was, wasn’t shocked but that was the best explanation I had. Thinking the chickens should be closed in at night I started putting them in the coop and shut the door and for the last two nights they were alright.
This AM when I went over to feed the other batch of chickens, a batch of Freedom rangers, I found one with its head missing well within the fencing. I suspect whatever got it was within the fencing. Again I am not sure how it got inside the fencing unless it has figured out how to get under the net. I first thought it could be a raccoon but my wife thinks it could be a weasel.
Today I am moving the one batch closer to the house and putting one of our livestock guard dogs in with the Freedom rangers at night (no coop to close them into, just a shade shelter). Of course both batches are about a week from processing so all the money was into the birds that we lost.
Billy
Response by Ralph in N.E.Oh at 2014-08-11 09:14:57
Owl got your birds
Response by s d Mannies at 2014-08-11 09:47:17
I have seen owls do this.
Shanen
Response by Sheldon at 2014-08-11 10:44:01
A few years ago I kept finding frogs with no heads. Called the DNR. They said that the fat content in the brain was extremely high and that many predators, going into the Fall, would only eat heads for that reason. May not tell you what is killing them, but may help understand why just the heads.
Response by Kate V(Va) at 2014-08-11 15:05:39
I found that weasels and mink will do this. Actually caught one in a portable house/pen.

It had a run-in with a pitch-fork.....the weasel lost.
Response by Sharon Anderson --- AWESOME ASS ACRES --- Etowah, TN at 2014-08-11 15:42:31
Lost several guineas a few years ago, found them in the same condition...owl was the culprit. They were too big for him to carry off to eat, so he just made do with the heads and necks.
Response by M. Burley at 2014-08-13 21:04:59
Owls, get yourself some nightguards and face them upwards or on tall fenceposts. They are solar powered lights that blink at night. They work.
Response by Billy Foster at 2014-08-18 07:23:00
I never did figure out what was getting the birds. I ended up closing them in at night and predation stopped. I did put a trap out for a few nights but no luck. I always had the feeling I was pushing my luck not shutting them in at night. From now on I will be closing them up at dusk and letting them out again in the morning. Thanks for the help
Billy
Response by Scott Hackett at 2014-08-25 22:41:48
I have had skunks kill chickens also.
Response by Paulk at 2014-09-01 11:17:19
I had skunks do this two different times. I sat a live trap and was able to catch them both times. They actually got in the coop and killed a few at a time and only ate the heads.
Response by Billy Foster at 2014-09-05 06:14:54
Well I can say shutting them up at night has been working very well. last night I got done tedding after dark and missed a few birds when I shut them in. Unfortunately in the morning one had been killed (missing it’s head). I really think it is an owl since I have electro net around the coop and I have a hard time believing a raccoon would get under it. We can easily hear the birds from our bedroom and I suspect we would have heard a commotion if a raccoon was chasing or killing a bird. I suspect an owl would quietly drop out of nowhere right in the unsuspecting chicken. Another reason I think it was not a raccoon is the sides of the coop are only chicken wire, I would think a raccoon would have no trouble chewing though. If a raccoon was getting into the fence I bet it would have already ripped a hole in the side of the coop. Live and learn…again

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