What animal kills a chicken and just takes the head and leaves the rest of the body.

I would guess possum, hawk or owl, but it could be something else.

Whatever it doing it is going in there coop at night and getting them and taking them outside and eating there head

possum, you need to beef up yer nighttime security.....possums and coons could get into Ft Knox anytime they wanted to...

I kept the dead chicken from last night and im gonna set a trap tonight and see how it goes. But i dont no if using the dead chicken that they have already took the head off of will be good bait.

My dog has got to be the worst dog ever. She probly watched all of this unfold

If there are trees around the pen go and shine them a few times at night. If you have a possum or coon you'll catch him up a tree near by. My uncle was having the possum and coon killing his, fun thing is a small pot bellied pig came around and he catches it and puts it in the pen with the chicken all the killing stopped until the pig got to fat to move.LOL

[quote=need2hunt]What animal kills a chicken and just takes the head and leaves the rest of the body. [/quot


This REALLY sounds like a Mink.

Hopefully I'll find out in the morning

Probably a possum you better set a trap they usually don't stop till you kill him or he runs out of chickens.

It was a cat. A kitty cat. I grew up on a chicken farm and worked in the poultry business for 19 years. Cat, cat, cat.

x2 I'd bet money the cats owner woke up the next morning with the head on there front porch.

Well no luck catching anything in the trap. But last night i went out side to pee and there was a really strong skunk smell. I went and checked my trap and nothing was in it and i looked around the yard and barn and never saw it but it had to be somewhere close.

Couldnt be that hungry if it only ate the head so i would say a cat as well.

My experience in raising chickens and quail for a long while now tells me this is a coon. Coons will kill just to be killing. They'll reach their paws through a quail cage and just pull their heads off and only eat one of them. Plus they are smart. Coons are one of the worst predators to have around.

Also one of the best things to keep coons away is a thing called a predator guard. It's a blinking red light at night and recharges during the day in the sun. It works.

Sounds pretty cool, ill have to look into that. Thanks