Raising chickens comes with the risk that predators may target your flock. A common sign of a chicken predator attack is finding headless chickens in the pen. While unsettling, examining the manner of death can help identify the predator responsible.
Common Chicken Predators
Chickens make for easy prey due to their large bodies and slow movements Some common chicken predators include
-
Raccoons – Will reach through wire fencing or coop openings to grab a chicken’s head and rip it off, leaving the body behind. The most likely suspect if headless chickens are found near fencing.
-
Weasels – Includes fishers, martens, minks, and ferrets. Weasels are agile predators that can enter small openings. They tend to kill chickens and leave the carcasses largely intact.
-
Owls – Great horned owls and other large owl species prey on chickens. Owls prefer to eat the head first targeting the brain which is high in protein.
-
Foxes – Foxes are capable of carrying off entire mature chickens. Look for missing birds and scattered feathers as signs of a fox attack.
-
Coyotes – Like foxes, coyotes can kill full-sized chickens and carry carcasses away.
-
Dogs – Dogs usually kill chickens by shaking and breaking their necks, Chickens may be left uneaten if the dog was chasing for sport,
-
Cats – Feral and domestic cats opportunistically hunt chickens. Their victims will show signs of wounds from claws and teeth.
Clues Left Behind By Different Predators
Carefully examining how a chicken was killed can provide clues to identify the predator:
-
Missing eggs – Rats, snakes, skunks, raccoons, crows, and opportunistic chickens may be stealing eggs.
-
Missing chickens – When entire birds disappear, suspect foxes, coyotes, bobcats, dogs, hawks, or owls depending on the size of chicken taken.
-
Intact dead chickens – Chickens killed by bites without missing parts likely indicates a dog or cat attack. Also potentially a chicken that died of natural causes or illness.
-
Bloody but intact carcasses – Weasels kill chickens aggressively, often leaving them bloodied but uneaten.
-
Headless chickens – Headless carcasses with an intact body strongly suggest owl or raccoon predation.
-
Other signs – Look for predator scat, tracks, and feathers. Set up a game camera to potentially photograph the predator in action.
Protecting Your Flock from Future Attacks
Once you’ve identified likely predators, take steps to protect your chickens:
-
Install secure fencing with small mesh to prevent raccoons from reaching in. Bury fencing to stop digging predators.
-
Ensure coops and runs are sealed against entry, with no gaps bigger than 1-2 inches. Use hardware cloth or wire mesh for maximum security.
-
Deter aerial predators like hawks with wire or netting over outdoor runs.
-
Use motion-activated lights, sounds, or scarecrows to frighten predators.
-
Keep a guard animal such as a dog, goose, or rooster to alert you and confront predators. Supervise dogs around chickens.
-
Lock chickens in predator-proof coops at night and when unattended.
Predators are an unfortunate reality of raising backyard chickens. Stay vigilant and take preventative measures to protect your valued flock. Examining attack evidence can help you identify the culprit and enhance defenses against future attacks. With awareness and proper precautions, you can minimize risks to your chickens.
Missing or Damaged Eggs
A number of predators prey on poultry eggs. Snakes swallow eggs whole. Rats carry eggs away a short distance, then eat them. A skunk punches a hole into an egg, then sticks its muzzle in to lick out the contents. Raccoons and opossums tend to crush eggs to eat them, leaving behind a mess of mashed shell and oozing interiors. Blue jays and crows are known to occasionally prey on poultry eggs.
Wounds Near the Vent; Entrails Pulled Out
If your chicken is alive, with bite marks and lacerations around her vent, or if your bird is deceased, with intestines pulled out through her vent, the predator in question belongs to the weasel family. Weasels, minks, ferrets, badgers and martens wrap themselves around their prey’s body and attack the vent area. Members of the weasel family will also bite a bird at the base of the skull to kill it before feeding. (Here’s a video of how to identify predators with a simple scent station.)
This gruesome carnage signifies a common poultry predator, the raccoon. This type of predation pattern often occurs when a raccoon has gotten into a coop at night. It will typically feed on one or two chickens in this manner, then depart, leaving the remains behind.
If one of your birds seems to have simply disappeared, or if there is nothing but a scattering of feathers in the coop, run or yard, the probable culprit is a fox. Foxes tend to kill or severely injure their prey, then carry them back to their dens, often to feed their kits. Coyotes and bobcats are also known to carry off their prey, as are hawks, owls and other birds of prey.
If you are missing one or more chicks, you might have a rat or opossum problem. Both predators grab infant poultry off an unguarded nest and carry them away. Rat snakes also prey on chicks, eating them whole. Another carnivore that targets chicks is the domestic cat, which tends to carry chicks off to play with this lively new toy elsewhere.
What Animal Bites Chickens Heads?
FAQ
What animal eats the heads off chickens?
Raccoons and birds of prey, such as hawks and owls, are the most common culprits for decapitating chickens. Raccoons are known to reach through fences or wire mesh to grab and pull off chicken heads, often leaving the body behind.
What would just eat the head of a chicken?
If birds are dead and not eaten but are missing their heads, the predator may be a raccoon, a hawk, or an owl. Raccoons sometimes pull a bird’s head through the wires of an enclosure and then can eat only the head, leaving the majority of the body behind.
What will take the head of a chicken?
Anything from weasel to bobcat, owls even, will take the head. Foxes usually carry the chicken when they flee, even carrying two if they are not struggling anymore.
Do possums eat chicken heads off?
Opossums, no. Raccoons are the ones who bite the heads off of chickens.