Devastated-What could it have been?

[chrissilini]

I came home tonight to find all
6 of my girls, NH Reds, dead. All of their heads were bitten off, bodies left behind except for one that is gone completely. The only thing we are coming up with is that it was a marten. There weren’t any signs of digging under the fence, all of the eggs were gone, including the fake ones! There was a smallish gap at the top of the door where maybe something could have gotten in the run, but nothing big. And the gap isn’t big enough to get one of them through. Anyone have the same unfortunate experience? I feel like a horrible chicken momma that I didn’t protect them enough. I’m gonna miss my girls.

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry for your loss. Can you get pictures of your coop when it's light?

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Do you have any pics of the carcasses?

 

[chrissilini]

Before I get scolded on the size of the wire, I know it’s too big. It’s been on the list of things we need to buy and change. It’s what we had to work with when we moved and set the chickens up. This is/was a temporary home for them. They had, however, been in there for 8 months with no issues. (Moved in November)

I came home tonight to find all
6 of my girls, NH Reds, dead. All of their heads were bitten off, bodies left behind except for one that is gone completely. The only thing we are coming up with is that it was a marten. There weren’t any signs of digging under the fence, all of the eggs were gone, including the fake ones! There was a smallish gap at the top of the door where maybe something could have gotten in the run, but nothing big. And the gap isn’t big enough to get one of them through. Anyone have the same unfortunate experience? I feel like a horrible chicken momma that I didn’t protect them enough. I’m gonna miss my girls.

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[Lor]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Isadora]

I'm so sorry for your loss.
Beheadings are typical raccoon behavior, but if you're saying there's not any large gaps I'm not sure how a raccoon would have gotten into the pen. Now he could have easily put his arms through that wire because it's large enough but it looks like some of the birds aren't right near the fence.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Raccoons can kill birds by sticking their arms in and eating there heads off. I guess the birds were flopping around in the death spasms and moved away from the fence.

 

[Geena]

except for one that is gone completely.

Then there must be a hole somewhere big enough for a chicken to fit through. Sorry for your loss.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Oh how awful. I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[chrissilini]

Before I get scolded on the size of the wire, I know it’s too big. It’s been on the list of things we need to buy and change. It’s what we had to work with when we moved and set the chickens up. This is/was a temporary home for them. They had, however, been in there for 8 months with no issues. (Moved in November)

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And I did find the one I thought missing. All 6 where in there.

I came home tonight to find all
6 of my girls, NH Reds, dead. All of their heads were bitten off, bodies left behind except for one that is gone completely. The only thing we are coming up with is that it was a marten. There weren’t any signs of digging under the fence, all of the eggs were gone, including the fake ones! There was a smallish gap at the top of the door where maybe something could have gotten in the run, but nothing big. And the gap isn’t big enough to get one of them through. Anyone have the same unfortunate experience? I feel like a horrible chicken momma that I didn’t protect them enough. I’m gonna miss my girls.

View attachment 3133019View attachment 3133019

Mystery solved. While my husband was going out to the run to clean up, he found a fisher with one of the chickens in its mouth! Much work to be done before we ever get new girls.