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Coyote/Fox Question

Posted on 8/9/25 at 12:01 pm
Posted by RustedToyota
USA
Member since Jan 2021
112 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 12:01 pm
Found a dead bird chicken size this morning. Head gone and gutted, Lots of feathers plucked around. The closest chickens nearby are about 200yds away. Will coyote/fox carry a kill that far to eat?
And the chicken had five toes so was that a Silkie chicken? Do have a coyote and fox population because I’ve seen them.
Posted by 4mileduckman
orig from lake charles
Member since Jan 2013
911 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 12:06 pm to
Probably a bobcat or even an owl or hawk
Posted by choupiquesushi
yaton rouge
Member since Jun 2006
33656 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 2:11 pm to
coyote would drag a chicken off.

Bobcat would drag it off too

foxes have small stomachs and would eat some drag it off and cover/bury it.

I'd wager heavily on feral cat or raptor - especially an owl
Posted by Rabby
Member since Mar 2021
1461 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 3:29 pm to
Fox and coyote will drag a kill away, but I rarely find evidence out in the open as foxes carry the kill to their dens and coyotes just go off in private.
Was there a branch, power line or other structure over where you found the remains? A large raptor could have done this and eaten the easy parts before dropping the rest.
If not, a cat can do this.
Posted by RustedToyota
USA
Member since Jan 2021
112 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 5:03 pm to
Plenty of trees around and a next door property that’s overgrown with 6ft high briars and scrub trees. The bird was in the open where the grass is cut. There are owls and bobcat here too. Plenty of rabbits too. Have found just patches of rabbit fur too.
Posted by BoogaBear
Member since Jul 2013
6953 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 10:34 pm to
Neither. Fox, coyote, bob cat are going to eat the whole bird.

Head gone and gutted is the give away for what it is. If it was one of the above you'd find nothing. You're dealing with a raccoon, mink, or possum. They will pull the head off and eat the crop.
Posted by Rabby
Member since Mar 2021
1461 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 11:07 pm to
Look for prints near what you are finding. I would bet this is a bobcat recently working your area.
Posted by 9rocket
Member since Sep 2020
1627 posts
Posted on 8/9/25 at 11:49 pm to
I vote coon. They will carry a chicken a good ways. Minks here just pull the head off and drink the blood. Possums leave the head and eat the guts.
Posted by Harald Ekernson
Louisiana
Member since May 2025
382 posts
Posted on 8/10/25 at 9:37 pm to
Only one way to figure it out. Set some dog-proof traps, some giant live traps, and some humane dog noose traps. Bait them with eggs, canned cat food, fresh chicken meat, and fox bait (like beaver meat) and see what you catch. Use chicken shite as a cover scent but wear nitrile gloves while you’re setting up the traps.
Posted by GeauxBurrow312
Member since Nov 2024
4811 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 3:39 pm to
Or set up cameras

Would bet coyote or bobcat
Posted by bbvdd
Memphis, TN
Member since Jun 2009
28022 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 3:49 pm to
I vote for coon. That's exactly how they have killed several of our chickens.

Have a heart traps with cat food or dog proof traps work very well on them.
Posted by Floating Change Up
Member since Dec 2013
12853 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:30 pm to
quote:

Head gone and gutted, Lots of feathers plucked around.


Owl.

They love chicken heads.
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