Chicken predator identification is important so chicken keepers know what has attacked their flock and how to prevent it from happening again by protecting your flock from common predators.
On a personal note…Tara and her young son, Beckett, had started the morning like any other: a short stroll in their backyard to the coop where their four hens lived. As they drew closer, however, Tara sensed something wrong. She told Beckett to wait, then approached the henhouse slowly—only to see a quartet of bodies slumped on the ground, motionless. Quickly, she took a confused Beckett back to the house and, once he was occupied, returned to investigate.
“It was like something made a hole in their chests and sucked the insides out. What did that to my chickens?” she asked me.
I get this question far too often. I hate to hear how birds, sometimes entire flocks, get decimated by nocturnal and diurnal predators. It’s happened to our flocks a handful of times over the years, enough so that I can look at a victim and identify the predator, whether raccoon, dog, weasel, fox, coyote or other.
If you find your flock has been attacked, here is a reference guide to chicken predator identification so that you can take proper precautions in the future.
It’s likely that a raccoon or a bird of prey, like a hawk, put the head on your chicken and then left it. Birds of prey will swoop down and scare chickens, who sometimes jump up in fear and get their heads caught in the netting or mesh that covers their run. A hawk or other bird of prey will then grab the head with its powerful talons and rip it off. Raccoons will also rip the heads off chickens through fencing, often reaching through at ground level to grab a chicken and pull its head off, leaving its body on the other side of the fence.
Raising backyard chickens comes with its fair share of challenges, including protecting them from predators. Nothing is more distressing than finding a beloved hen with its head missing. So what predator is responsible for this gruesome act? By examining clues and understanding predator behavior, chicken owners can get to the bottom of the mystery
Examining the Evidence
When discovering a decapitated chicken, the first step is thoroughly examining the body and scene. Some key evidence to note includes:
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Missing body parts – Is the head fully removed or partially eaten? Are other areas like the crop or breast missing?
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Time of day – Chickens killed at night point to nocturnal predators like raccoons Daytime attacks could indicate hawks, weasels, or roaming dogs
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Feathers – Ruffled feathers scattered around suggests a violent struggle. Missing feathers may mean the predator carried the chicken away.
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Blood – Large pools of blood indicate the chicken was killed there. A lack of blood means it was carried from the coop and eaten elsewhere.
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Tracks or fur—Footprints, drag marks, and tufts of fur can prove that a fox, coyote, or bobcat killed the animal.
Paying close attention to these clues helps narrow down the list of possible predators.
Top Decapitator Suspects
Many animals will eat chickens when they have the chance, but a few regular “head hunters” are most likely to be responsible for the strange deaths of chickens:
Raccoons
With their dexterous paws, raccoons have a special knack for removing chicken heads and crops through small openings. They tend to target the nutrient-rich head and neck area while leaving most of the carcass behind. Raccoon attacks mainly happen at night.
Opossums
Like raccoons, opossums go after the head and neck but usually leave messy tears rather than a clean cut. They also target eggs and baby chicks. Their nighttime chicken raids leave remains scattered around the coop.
Mink
Mink are agile weasel-like creatures that can inflict serious damage on chickens. They often bite off the head and carry chickens away to eat elsewhere. Mink leave similar wounds to weasels but tend to take the whole carcass once the head is removed.
Hawks
Large hawks and owls have the powerful talons needed to rip or twist a chicken’s head off. They aim for vital organs and tend to pluck the neck and breast clean. Feathers and chicken remains below a tree or perch may point to raptors.
Foxes
Foxes attack chickens by biting the neck and shaking violently to break it. They may eat the head and crop or carry the carcass away. Like coyotes, they often attack multiple chickens in one night.
Preventing Decapitations
Once the predator is known, steps can be taken to make the coop safer and stop future break-ins. Here are some tips:
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Install electric fencing around the run to deter mammal predators. Use hot wire over the top to prevent climbing.
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Cover the run and coop with 1/2” hardware cloth to prevent access by digging predators. Bury the cloth 6-12” underground.
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Use motion-sensor lights and sounds to scare nocturnal prowlers.
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Lock chickens in a secure coop at night. Close off pop doors and vents.
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Remove brush and debris around the coop that can offer hiding spots.
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Use traps or other removal methods for persistent predators.
With some detective work and preventative measures, chicken owners can crack the case and rest easy knowing their flock is safe. Acting quickly when an attack occurs can help identify patterns and prevent repeat offenses. Keeping a vigilant eye out for signs of trouble is key to deterring chicken-loving predators.
Missing Legs and Wings
A chicken whose mortal injury was the loss of a limb, such as a leg or a wing, was the victim of a raccoon. In this case, the raccoon reached through the fencing and caught hold of your bird’s limb instead of its head.
Wounds Near the Vent; Entrails Pulled Out
If your chicken is still alive and has bite marks and cuts around her vent, or if she is dead and her intestines have been pulled out through her vent, the animal that did this is probably a weasel. 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
Which predator eats chicken heads?
If birds are dead and not eaten but are missing their heads, the predator may be a raccoon, a hawk, or an owl. Raccoons have been known to pull a bird’s head through the wires of a cage and then eat only the head, leaving the rest of the body behind.
Do possums eat chicken heads off?
Opossums, no. Raccoons are the ones who bite the heads off of chickens.
Do raccoons only eat the heads of chickens?
It’s not unusual for raccoons and chickens to attack people. These attacks can happen at any time of the day or night. Raccoons are known to attack and kill chickens by biting their heads or necks, and they may also eat the chickens’ internal organs.
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.