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What Killed My Chicken? – How to Know

What killed my chicken? If you’re here, you’re probably asking yourself that very question. Something got one or more of your chickens. Naturally, you want to know what in the world it was. And, more importantly, how to prevent it from happening again.

Chickens eating produce in a greenhouse with a man in the background.

In this article I’m going to teach you a couple of things:

  1. I’m gonna show you ALL the possible killers for what got your chickens (or eggs).
  2. I’ll give you a series of 11 questions that you can ask yourself to figure out who or what did this.

Here’s a video I created on this subject (if you’d rather watch and learn): 

Possible Land Predators

There are so many possibilities when it comes to land predators. Depending on where you live you may not have some of these threats, but I wanted to list as many as I could think of here:

  • Fox
  • Raccoon
  • Sasquatch
  • Opossum
  • Skunk
  • Rat
  • Feral Pig
  • Max the Dog
  • Other People
  • BAHFEEMUS
  • Bear
  • Coyote
  • Snake
  • Bobcat
  • Oliver the Cat
  • Weasel
  • Wolf
  • Tiger

…and pretty much everybody and their brother.

A man letting a goose and chickens out of a mobile chicken coop.

Possible Aerial Predators

There are also quite a few aerial predators that could be dangerous for your chickens.

  • Hawk
  • Owl
  • Eagle
  • Crow (usually only go after chicks or small breeds)

Between the land and aerial predators, that’s a pretty exhaustive list of all the possibilities. Yes, there are probably more that didn’t make the cut, but you get the idea. Chickens need protecting!

That’s why I share these five chicken coop ideas that work, as well as my mobile chicken coop (or chickshaw) plans available on my website. Many of these predators can get into your chicken coop with just an inch gap, so it’s important your coop is solid.

But, how can you possibly tell who killed your beloved bird?

Chickens in a field with a chicken coop in the background.

What Killed My Chicken?

Here’s a series of questions to help narrow down the possibilities…

Did it happen at night or during the day?

  • Night – If the attack happened at night it was likely a human, fox, raccoon, opossum, skunk, rat, sasquatch, feral pig, bear, coyote, bobcat, weasel, wolf, snake, Max the dog, tiger, BAHFEEMUS, or an owl.
  • Day – If the attack happened at night it was likely a human, bear, Max the dog, snake, Oliver the cat, sasquatch, weasel, BAHFEEMUS, hawk, eagle, or crow.  

As you can see most killers roam around at night, so it’s going to be essential to secure the flock overnight.

A man and woman in a chicken run.

Are chickens missing and leaving no signs of their death?

The next question to determine what’s killing your chickens is whether or not there are signs of death to the chicken. Are any of the remains still there, or has the chicken seemingly vanished?

If there are no signs of death, the prospect is likely a human, Sasquatch, owl, eagle, hawk, coyote, pig, bear, tiger or wolf. If it’s a small chicken it could have even been a snake.

Check out what happened to one of my Cornish Cross chickens:

Is the chicken mangled, but not eaten or partially eaten?

If you find the chicken dead and it’s mangled or partially eaten, the suspects are Max the dog, weasels, Oliver the cat, a crow, or a raccoon.

I was surprised that crows are on the list. Who dreamed a crow would kill and eat a chicken?

Well, it happened to me. But, not on one of my adult birds. This crow took advantage of some chicks I had in a pen in my yard. I came out one morning and saw several torn apart. I knew it was an aerial attack so I went to get some supplies to secure a shade cloth over the birds.

When I came back, I saw a crow perched on the cage, ready to strike again!

Here’s a video after I found the kill:

Neighboring Domestic Animals (Dogs & Cats)?

I tell neighbors and visitors all the time to not allow their dogs on my property because I’m afraid they’ll eat one of my chickens. Their response is usually, “My sweet ol’ pup would never harm a flea.”

Then, half the time a chicken gets got. Once dogs get a taste for chasing and killing chickens, their behavior is hard to break. No, it’s not great to have wandering dogs on your property, but life happens, and dogs get out, so it’s always best to have your flock protected from all predators, even “man’s best friend.”

I’ve also had domestic cats eat my chickens. Yes, we were free-ranging young chickens and caught a couple of our barn cats in the act! I wouldn’t put it past many domestic cats to take advantage of a young bird if given the chance.

The instinct to kill and eat animals runs deep in our dogs and cats.

A man pulling a portable chicken tractor through a field.

Is the head gone (and maybe some innards) and everything else is left behind?

If this is the case, think raccoon, hawk, owl, or eagle.

Are guts scattered all over the place?

Consider opossum or a weasel.

Is the bird gone, but there are feathers left?

It could have been a fox, coyote, feral pig, bear, tiger, or wolf.

Do you see only blood (but nothing else is left)?

This would be a rare occurrence, but a miraculous job of the BAHFEEMUS

Eggs in a nesting box.

Are the insides of the eggs gone and the shells cracked?

If you’re just noticing that chickens have gone missing and you’re seeing remnants of eggs, it’s most likely a skunk.

Are just the eggs missing?

If you notice the eggs are completely gone, it’s almost definitely a snake, but could also be a rat or a human.

Is the dead chicken seemingly unharmed, but blue?

If this is the case, your chicken probably self-destructed from its own health issues.

This happened to my “King Daddy” rooster. Nothing killed him, his little ol’ heart just gave out, that’s all:

Chicken Killers Narrowed Down

All these chicken killers can be narrowed down to just two things:

  • THING #1 – Land predator
  • THING #2 – Aerial predator

Now, what do you do about it?

A father and his kids feeding chickens.

How to Keep Your Chicken Posse 100% Safe & Secure

Now that you have a better idea of who or what got your chicken, the MOST important thing is preventing this from happening again. Don’t worry, even if you don’t know what killed your chicken, my tips for protecting chickens from predators will stop them 100% of the time.

Keep reading these other blog posts below for more great tips…

Chickens leaving a chicken tractor.

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Hi, I'm Justin

I share from a love of teaching and the sustainable movement. Here, you’ll find exhaustive permaculture articles, plentiful photos, cinematic educational films and business tips and tricks.

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