What eats the heads off of chickens?

[Richard]

Ozzy Osbourne?
(You'll have to be about 50-60 to get that one...)

Did he copy Alice or did Alice copy Ozzy?

(yes, I'm 50)

Actually, with Alice (Cooper for those who might not know), someone threw a chicken onto the stage with him...it flapped about and he threw it back into the crowd.

To the original question:

I've had beheaded rabbits and mice and birds show up more often than I'd like.

Long story short, I have a murdering cat who nabs them, kills them either rips their heads off or eats it (which makes NO sense to me at all)

he'll eat the top half of the body of mice

He always leaves the remains in the stereo room, right inside the French Doors. I discovered his habit accidently by stepping in....oh, never mind you get the idea.

We've since put a breakaway collar with a bell on it with hopes that the prey will hear the bell and maybe get a better chance of getting away.

This is the most personable, loving, in your lap murderer that you could ever want. :confused2:

 

[RavensRoost]

I guess Voodoo has spread to the Bayou now.

 

[tallyho8]

I guess Voodoo has spread to the Bayou now.

Spread to the bayou? I think this is where it originated.

 

[jayste]

Ozzy or Rocky racoon!:thumbsup:

 

[kubob]

You could get a game trail type camera that would capture the culprit in the act - there's flash type and infrared type. It would also document exact time.

 

[nybirdman]

I raise pheasant for my preserve,20 years worth,always have to deal with predators...what your describeing is either a hawk or owl...my pens are covered with netting,the hawks and owls fly a the birds,get them in the air and catch them THRU THE NET..kill the bird by biteing the back of the neck;they can't get the body out;so drop it ,fly off with the head.I find headless bodies in my pens.Raccoons will kill and eat most of the bird not just the head.

 

[jayste]

Raccoons will kill and eat most of the bird not just the head.

Unless the head is all they can pull through the fence.

 

[MossRoad]

In Czech language we call it the bishop, since it looks like bishop's mitre.
When my daughter was getting confirmed at the church, I offered to take her picture with the bishop from our Sunday lunch - she refused

Our family has always called it the Pope's nose.

 

[Mousefield]

On our present property I have had to dispose of 3 minks over the last few years. Twice they killed a hen and her 10 babies, one set about a week old and the other about 5 weeks. The mink go on a killing frenzy and just kill, can kill dozens of chickens in one night. On a previous property we lost about 30 full grown laying hens in one night, again a mink, neighbor shot it. Have had a few killed over the years by raccoons, they will eat more than the head. Could be a bird of prey, I have seen rabbits on our place with only the head gone. We do not have skunks or possums here so can't speak to that.

 

[wolc123]

Nybirdman nailed it, and I would bet on the owl. When I was a boy, growing up on the farm, we had about a week where we found a headless chicken every morning. The rest of the bird was untouched. It was a shame for all that meat to go to waste as we had put a lot of money and time into fattening them up. Times were tough back then, there were lots of hungry kids to feed, and my dad was not too happy with the situation. On the weekend, we butchered a batch and I piled up a dozen or so chicken heads at the scene of the crimes. I figured whatever it was taking the heads (Evil spirit, bear, wolf, coyote, fox, weasel, skunk, raccoon, etc) really liked them so I would give it an offer it could not refuse. Not knowing how large or what type of beast I was dealing with, I surrounded the head pile with traps of all sizes. The next morning I awoke to find a giant, great-horned owl standing near the pile. It was nearly as tall as I was and had a wingspan that seemed like it was close to 10 feet. A number 2 coil-sping trap had crushed and held the elbow of one wing, and a smaller trap was holding one of the claws. I felt bad for the majestic bird and quickly ended its suffering. We didnt loose another chicken after that week. I gave the carcass to my uncle, who was a taxidermist at a big museum in the city, and to this day I can still take my kids to see that evil bird. If it is an owl, you might want to add a roof to your cage or lock the birds in the barn at night.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Dang with all the great post we couldnteven get the chupacabra in there with Ozzy.
Ove heard of Owls and Skunks and possums taking the head only.

 

[Tororider]

We had a possum do it, heads only.

 

[scootr2d]

If it just heads and necks , you are in for some serious trouble , The animal that eat the heads off chickens is a weasel . If you don't kill it , it will come back every night until all your chickens are dead.

They are vicious killers , they only take the head and neck, and they will not stop. I have seen an ermine kill all the chickens in one coop over night.

Last winter and ermine (part of the weasel family) also called Stoats up north (their coat turns white in winter with a Black tip tail). took one of my silkies the first night, another the second , on the third night , Tessa my dog cornered it and held it at bay until I could finish it off with rat-shot.

Weasels are very agile and ferocious and relentless fighters.

Here is what took out my chickens up north.
Don't let the cute factor fool ya , these buggers are down right Brutal ina coop

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mustela_erminea_upright.jpg
http://www.borealforest.org/zoo/ermine.jpg

 

[RavensRoost]

Spread to the bayou? I think this is where it originated.

I thought Caribbean islands, but defer to you as you are a "local".

 

[AMP762]

I thought the question was: Who eats the heads.... and I was really curious to find out:licking:

I would think it's one of the ferret family - except for geeks, of course.

Now different question - Do you the but of baked chicken? It has a different taste than anything else but not bad at all. In Czech language we call it the bishop, since it looks like bishop's mitre.
When my daughter was getting confirmed at the church, I offered to take her picture with the bishop from our Sunday lunch - she refused

And people say Southeren folks eat strang things?

 

[schmism]

Something just eats the head off and leaves the rest.

that is the tell tale sign of a coon.

 

[dmccarty]

Something just eats the head off and leaves the rest.

Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern?

Not sure how you get rid of them though. They will eat anything including poo.....

Later,
Dan

 

[Baldyonthehill]

We had several chickens that were killed by coons the same way you describe. After several .22 shells went empty, the problem stopped. The coons did their deed while there was enough light for me to see them but my girls were perched for the night.

i used to think coons were cute before that. Now I kill every one I can. Once scored three together as they were crossing the road. My sadistic heart enjoyed the little thumping sound as my truck went over them.

Had a coyote take some but she took the whole bird. Shoot them also.

 

[Lacal]

The chupacabra - sorry couldn't resist! I have seen racoons do this, but I'm sure other animals do it too.

 

[D33r3 6r33N]

I'm 41 & I get it!

I'm 32 and I thought of that right away myself!