# Lost my first hen - missing it's head but all the others are fine.



## HonestOmnivore (Feb 26, 2013)

My husband, who is very tender hearted, found his favorite call duck hen dead in the chicken coop this morning, missing only her head. There were a dozen other birds in the coop, so what would have only attacked one duck, and only ate it's head, leaving all the others alone?

Our coop isn't secure - it's just straw bales with a corrugated roof - but it's inside a fenced yard (1"x3" rectangles welded wire) We know the call ducks can get through some areas of the fence so even it isn't very secure.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I wonder if she didn't stick her head through the fence and something outside bit it off.  Maybe a coyote or something?


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## HonestOmnivore (Feb 26, 2013)

DH says she was in the middle of the coop...


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Skunk....they will chew the head right off and leave the rest..


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

***** are bad too.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

When we had ducks being decapitated we eventually figured out it was an owl. A screach owl to be exact.


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## kenmon (May 2, 2013)

I lost several chickens one night to a Great Horned Owl. All it took was the heads too.


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## HonestOmnivore (Feb 26, 2013)

The duck hen was found inside the coop, the coop isn't secure but would an owl go into a coop?


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

So sorry for your loss!  

A 1x1 inch hole is all that is needed to lose birds to predators.....you will likely keep losing them until you fix your fencing and coop situation....

again, so sorry for your loss!


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

Board it up like fort Knox... that animal, whatever it is, WILL come back. set live traps... sit out with a shotgun.

We went from 21 birds to 12 in two days. It was a raccoon. Catch that thing and don't waste time because these critters are sneaky and brutal. Opening up a coop to find murdered birds lying everywhere is a nightmare, don't let it happen.


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## HonestOmnivore (Feb 26, 2013)

*Last night*

I closed off the ground level door and herded our remaining hen (who was out in the dark yard calling to the missing hen ) into our garage for the night. No deaths last night. I was thinking of putting our beagle in the coop tonight but he's not exactly 100% chicken proof so I'd have to leave him in there in his crate - think a crated spastic beagle pup would scare a predator away?


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

A hawk or owl, when there is enough prey around, will kill for fun and just eat the heads...


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## ChristinaK (Feb 5, 2013)

Racoons mainly will do that and or skunks. Sorry that is not a fun way to find your animal.


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