There isn’t much worse than finding casualties in your coop during your morning chores. Losing poultry to a predator can be a devastating, and often confusing, experience. 

You’ve done your best to ensure your chooks have a safe coop, but despite your efforts, the chicken-hungry varmints have struck again. 

Often, we feel outsmarted by poultry predators, but with a little background knowledge, we can identify the culprit and put a stop to future attacks on our flocks. 

Read on to learn more about the most common poultry predators and how to identify which critter has caused chaos in your coop:

 

Common Poultry Predators

 

Aerial Predators

Predators that get an all-access pass to your yard are the ones high in the sky. Hawks, eagles, and owls have an impressive vantage point and attack your chickens with gusto.

While hawks and eagles generally hunt during the day, owls can pick off chickens on an exposed roost during the evening hours. 

Behavior: Birds of prey strike fast and hard, sometimes killing their prey instantly by crushing it with their vice-like grips and razor-sharp claws. 

Critter Clues: You’ll know if your rooster was killed by an aerial predator if there is very little feather loss and the carcass is fairly intact. 

Unfortunately, another clue that your chicken was killed by a bird of prey is the absence of the body. Some large birds can, and will, carry their meals away from the scene of the crime. 

Region: Birds of prey exist in almost every region of the united states. Eagles, however, show up more often in the northern states while large barred owls reside in southern states. So, everyone has their enemies to contend with. 

 

Rodent Predators

We’re lumping the vicious rodent predators into one group here…and it includes raccoons, opossums, and weasels. In most cases, raccoons and opossums attack chickens when they’re desperately hungry. 

Behavior: Before any rodents attack, you may notice your eggs disappearing before you have the chance to collect them, and that’s because these bad guys love to eat them. 

Critter Clues: Usually, this grouping of villains attacks in willy-nilly ways. They grab what they can get and rip, claw, bite, and pull at anything and everything until the bird is dead. 

The exception to this is the weasel, which you will know attacked by either a missing head or severe damage to the neck and vent area. 

Region: Raccoons live across North America, aside from the Rocky Mountains and a few southwestern states. Opossums are a northern rodent and the weasel can be found anywhere and everywhere. 

 

Reptile Predators

There’s really only one reptile to be concerned with when it comes to your poultry, and that’s the snake. 

And depending on the type of snake you’re dealing with, you could lose eggs, live chickens, or both.

Behavior: Snakes can squeeze into the smallest spaces, and when they get to their destination, they leave very little behind. Snakes enjoy eating whole eggs, baby chicks, and the larger reptilian may even eat mature poultry. 

Critter Clues: Snakes leave very little behind because unlike the other predators on this list, they don’t chew their prey, instead, they eat it whole. You can look for signs of a snake slither in the dirt, dust, or within the bedding in the coop. 

 

Region: There are snakes living across all of North America, but the ones that enjoy eating chickens tend to live in the warmer climates. With that being said, the rat snake is one of the most guilty parties for chicken killings, and it lives across the whole of North America. 

 

Four-Legged Predators

Wild cats, like the bobcat and cougar, are notorious for killing flocks of poultry, as are wild dogs such as wolves and coyotes. These are the big-wig predators of the bunch, and if they’re after your poultry, they may also be after other livestock on your property, so beware!

Within this group, we’re also including the fox, who is the poster child for poultry-killing prey. This stinker will quickly grab its prey and carry it off to its den, leaving no sign of struggle or your birds (aside from a few stray feathers).

Behavior: Four-legged feral animals will kill and take their prey elsewhere to eat…which means if your chickens are nowhere in sight, save for the feathers lost in the heat of the battle, you’re looking at either a large bird of prey or a large cat or dog (or fox).

Critter Clues: Any of these prey animals may leave behind signs of struggle, but in most cases, there will be little left behind

Region: You’ll find wild cats, dogs, and foxes all over North America. With that being said, most of these prey animals hit harder during times of trouble, like during the winter, for example, when there is little else to eat. 

 

Domestic Predators

Feral cats, neighborhood dogs, and strays are also predators to be concerned about. A neighbor dog, for example, may have a strong drive to kill birds, or just play with them to the point of death. 

Barn cats, on the other hand, if hungry enough, may attack smaller chickens to satisfy their hunger.

Behavior: If a domestic dog has killed a bird during playtime, it may not consume any of the carcass, and instead, leave the lifeless bird alone. In this case, there may not be many signs of injury. 

Cats that attack small chickens, or baby chicks, will have a fight on their hands, especially if the chicken is a bit larger than the cat. 

While it is a rare situation, barn cats have been known to kill chickens from time to time, but more commonly they will go after young unattended baby chicks. 

Critter Clues: Domestic prey animals usually leave the scene of the crime a mess. There will be lots of lost feathers and signs of struggle. 

Region: Wherever you live. 

Predators are tricky, and the best way to combat them is to know them well enough to identify them. It’s important to know when they attack so you can prepare ahead. And now you know how they act, what they’re after, and where they live. 

With this information, you can be preemptive and ensure your flock has the best chance of avoiding a predator attack. 

– Written by: Amanda Pieper