My neighbour and I also lost chickens the same way you did. They have the best chicken house and run a person could wish for. They blamed another neighbours dog for taking the head off the chicken - no way it could have gotten into the run and this dog would go in my chicken house with me and sit in my yard with the chickens/ducks wandering around it. This dog got killed on the highway and a few days later, I had a chicken killed with just it's head gone. I searched on the net and on this site and the suggestions were, coon, mink (which we have on the beach) or weasle. I gave my mother hen and 8 baby chicks to my daughter, who has a 9 acre farm a few klms north of us. She had the perfect little house for her, a run that was fenced in with a wire roof over the top of the whole run. The grandson and I dug down and put crumpled wire all around the bottom of the cage wire. She was very very safe. My daughter phoned one morning, the hen was dead. Some animal had dug under the front of the little house and had """ chewed """ the plywood that was into the ground, facing towards the run, there was a good size hole and "Henny's" head was gone. I know how you feel loosing your friend but there will be another to take it's place. Good Luck with your chickens.

Interesting. Looks like the Prairie Vole likes grain. I wouldn't have noticed it since the grass is taller (about 4"), but I was out looking for weeds to pull! There does not seem to be a "burrow", but a definite path through the grass when I seperate the blades. Looks like I can get some mouse traps to see what I can capture. Also noticed more very large birds flying over that area so they may be taking care of them for me.

Yes, use the live trap. Havaheart, I think is a brand name. Get the correct size trap. CAll the Extension Service in your are and ask what to bait it with, although you can try peanut butter. I squirrel that frequents out back porch raids the grill after wee cook steaks, so lard may be a favorite too. AND fix the hole after you trap and remove the animal. My mother had a mouse problem and caught them and reased them out the front door, only to have them return and kept seeing the same mouse in the trap on consecutive trappings, even market it with a felt tip pen to verify. --Nate

Two points. Torture is a relative term. Is it torture when a lion catches an antelope and begins eating it before the antelope is completely dead? Is it torture for the antelope to be chased by the lion? Is there really any difference between the terrified antelope and a cow being forced up a killing chute and killed quickly with a blow to the head? Humanoids have eaten plants and animals since before we were Homo sapiens. We killed animals however we could. Forcing herds over a cliff and leaving most of the animals to rot, since there were too many to eat before the rest began to decay. Most people in the US are appalled by the thought of eating dog or horse meat. Because we have enough wealth to keep those animals as pets, making them more special to us. I can't visualize eating monkey meat and I would never open a clam/oyster and eat the insides. I have tried roasted opossum(once was enough---greasy, nasty tasting) and like rattlesnake. I've butchered chickens, hogs, and cows, processed them, cooked them, and enjoyed eating them. What people eat is what they grow up eating. Point two. Everything dies. Some things die quickly, some die slowly. Ever see a cow or deer with wasting disease? Or a starved horse or a dog? Pitiful sights. Makes me mad. People have the ability to choose what they want to eat. Those same people have no right to force me to abide by their beliefs---like PETA(I like my version of P(eople)E(ating)T(asty)A(nimals). You want to eat chocolate covered spiders? Have at. Don't be surprised if I say "No Thanks".