Found my blue cochin dead - did a "crime scene investigation" but...

[jophoto]

Still not 100% sure.

Here's my chicken run

It has regular wire all over it - top, sides, etc. The lower portion has the 1/2-inch wire mesh (hardware cloth) about two feet or more high all around except on the left hand side (when looking at above pic)- it is probably around 1-1/2 feet.

If you see the chicken ladder going up to the pop door, I currently have two 6x6x8 blocks as my younger chickens couldn't figure out how to get up the ladder for a while, and it made it easier for them.

I have one roo and 14 hens (7 were younger/smaller and have been well adjusted with the older ones for almost two months)

I went out to find my blue cochin young hen dead on the right side of the run (right side in that picture above) The others weren't picking on her, and she never got herself in trouble or had any "haters" that I have ever observed... this whole group is pretty cool together.

When I picked her up, at first I didn't think she had a head, but when I saw her entire body, yes, her head was there. Examining things, she had a bunch of blood on the back of her head and around her neck, it was fairly fresh - had to have happened very early in the morning.

I walked around the entire run and saw no entry to the run, nothing dug up, and no feathers on the outside of the run. One of those 6x8 blocks were knocked over (those were very heavy) by the pop door.

I have two theories:

1. The most logical maybe? A racoon reached above the 1/2 inch hardware cloth (which is only 1-1/2 feet in that spot) and through the regular fencing material and grabbed the chicken by the neck, causing commotion which knocked down the 6x6x8 block (heck, maybe the hen was standing on that block - height of block and lower hardware cloth caused racoon to be able to reach?), but somehow the racoon let go, hen went running to the opposite side of the run where she died from her injuries.

2. My very docile roo tried to mate with her and killed her? Is that even possible? My hens and roo have not shown any signs of aggression to me, so I can't really grasp this concept?


What do you think? We have problems with racoons in our area - my friends up the street had their cat attacked by one (they keep their one cat in a dog crate in their open barn at night - seems like an easy target to me...)

 

[Camelot Farms]

I think option 1 is a very good possibility.

Those coons are sneaky.

Sorry you lost her. ((hugs))

Beautiful coop and run!

 

[chickenlady]

Sounds like a weasel. They attack the back of the neck/head only. They kill for the fun of it, not the meal. Generally once a weasel knows there is blood there, they will be back again. I pray for your sake this is not the case. My neighbor got a weasel. Had about 30 birds. Lost 1 to 2 a night until they were all gone. The weasel never missed a night and they are hard to catch. They will fit in an opening of 1 inch.

I must say, your coop is gorgeous!! Much jealousy here, lol

 

[al6517]

The first response is the one i think happened as this is an all to common racoon crime scene.

AL

 

[jophoto]

Thanks you guys - hey, are there weasels in Maryland? I've never seen one in my life.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I don't believe it was a weasel because a weasel would have killed them all and there would have been a lot of damage. If a coon did get ahold of her and caused her to bleed, chickens that are normally passive with each other can become very aggressive when they see blood and will peck to death. One of our blue cochins died suddenly but we think she prolasped and in a matter of a few hours was pecked so badly on her behind. So sorry for your loss.

 

[Hoosiermomma]

I'm soooo sorry to hear about your cochin.

But I have to say gorgeous coop and run!~

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

If you have a predator, it will be back, regardless of whether it was a raccoon or a weasel or something else. Spread DE or flour outside the pen to try to get footprints and positively ID the culprit. Set traps, reenforce any areas where the wire may be loose or have too large openings, lock your birds inside at night, put a radio on a motion sensor.

Sorry for your loss

 

[chickenlady]

Great idea about the flour to try for tracks!! Then you can set the proper trap to catch it.

And a weasel doesnt usually kill them all at once. I lived it with my neighbors chickens. They were away and I was chicken sitting. The weasel took 1 or 2 a night that was it. Never ate anything, just killed.

And yes, you have weasels in maryland. I never thought we did, but we do.

 

[toredano]

Dont be so sure it was a raccoon.My turkey got attacked by my 3 hens and they allmost killed him yesterday afternoon. His head looks like he went thru a weedeater and he had a hematoma the size of a grape on his head. Now today his head is all blue and purple from the bruises. I never thought they would do that since he has been raised with them and the guineas.

It could be a raccoon but dont rule out the other hens or roosters also. If they think they can bully someone and they dont fight back.. they will attack them

This is Jives head this morning.. his neck is usualy pink ..