I've read that racoons will eat the heads off, like is happening with your neighbor's birds, and yours could be being attacked by weasels, or even snakes. You should check out the "Back Yard Chickens" website. They have a predator forum and also a section that gives info about predators.

Here is a link that might be useful: Back Yard Chickens

My DSIL had a cat almost kill her 5 wk. old rooster. She nursed him back to health, but at 8 wks. has a severe limp and will never fly. A small cat can get through a 2x4 space. A rat definately could.

Could it be a possum? Those creatures love eggs. They would get into our hen house at night when we had chickens. Even if you think something can't get in your hen house, they can/could find a way.

I sure hate that happen. I know how flustrating it can be!

Darleen

Mny years ago when I was on a farm as a young boy, we lost 25 chickens in one night from a SKUNK raid. And no, we did not smell them while we were sleeping. You will smell those little buggers during a night raid only if the wind carries their odor directly toward you. Wind from any other direction and you will not awaken. I can vouch they were very quiet and sneaky. Those skunks were so secretive about it that they did not awaken the bulk of roosting chickens, only the one under attack was awakened and that particular chicken was unable to give alarm because his head in the skunk's mouth. From waht we could tell by hte carnage, the skunks were interested only in the blood. They had slit the necks on many the chickens and slurped up the blood. Some chicken heads were almost servered. Of the chickens that were attacked, only one survived possibly because we interrupte4d the raid. The esophogus of that chicken had been split open. By some miracle and perservence, that poor chicken did survive with grave difficulties. About half the things it tried to swallow popped out the slit only to be picked up and tried again.

Something alerted us; It may have been our dogs who were sleeping in the yard outside our house. We did get out to the hen house soon enough to see a bevy of skunks scurry away. We did not see much because it was dark. Upon producing a light (kerosene lantern) we saw the carnage. That raid cost us 1/3 of our egg production over the next 6 months.

Yes indeedy, skunks will attack roosting (sleeping) chickens, and do so very quietly. Our chickens were on roosts that ranged from 3 to 5 ft above the ground.

Marks of a skunk attack:

1. Chicken heads may be severed, but the main objective of an attack is to open the blood vessels in the neck.

2. All affected foul will have wet heads, or evidence their heads were inside a predator's mouth. The head feathers will show the evidence.

3. None of the chickens will have been eaten.

4. The death rate of affected chickens is almost 100%. We had 2 out of 25 survive and we believe those survived because we interrupted the raid.

5. Since chickens are aroused by first light in the sky, expect raids to occur on the darkest, moonless, and/or cloudy nights when chickens are at their deepest sleep.

coyote kill farm animals, but it can be any of the others mentioned.

We had the same thing happen and found out is was a weasel, someone at the time before we caught the weasel in action told me it could be a rat also. We caught him because DH set out there one night waiting for him to return.

On the missing peacock eggs, I'd say snake.
Leslie

Seems everyone has their opinions but I've had chickens on and off for years and it sounds like a raccoon to me. They really are what they look like...masked bandits. They will kill just for the sport of killing and not bother even eating the kill...maybe part of it and they can, I swear, open a combination safe if need be to get to a pet or creature. They are also bold and brazen....About the on;y thing that will stop them, once they find your chickens is to have them captured and dumped in someone else's back yard or the best option....A bullet right in the center of their little white mask...

Here's some information that might be useful.

Here is a link that might be useful: all about chicken predators

At the chicken/ egg farm in my town, they say the worst predator is a fox.

I think you and your neighbor are dealing with different predators. You probably have a snake, you neighbor most likely has a raccoon.
Hardware cloth will deter a snake--we have 1/2" hardware cloth 3' high all around our chicken coop and bent outward at the top, and have never had a snake inside the coop (and we are in Texas, the capital of snakedom). Raccoons are more difficult--they are smarter and have those little active paws. Simply shooting the 'coon will take care of him, but not his cousins. We have had luck with putting a granular repellent around our garden and herb beds. We got it at Wal-Mart and it was called Ro-Pel, as I remember. It will work for chicken coops, also. Just don't put it inside the coop, where if it works, it's too late!

GardenWeb has a Farm Life Forum with lots of posters who raise chickens. They may be able to give you additional good advice:

Here is a link that might be useful: Farm Life Forum

I bet grammahony's right. Sounds like a snake eating the eggs. I hate to think what's biting the heads off! Ick!

When we built our chicken pen in CA in the mountains, we dug down about 6-8 inches, put is 1/2 inch chicken wire all arount, then 2x2 redwood lumber (cheap at that time) all the way around. Doors also had chick wire buried but had to step up to get in about 4-6 inches. Had the pen completly enclosed also. Nothing could get in, except snakes, but we did keep the mouse population down and the bushes back. It was inclosed by heavy chicken wire, 1/2 inch. But then about 20 years ago, the wire was made in US and very heavy, and galvanized. They also had a house to go into inside the pen.
It is hard to keep those critters out.

Lil' update- Yes, I am suspecting more than one culprit.
As of today there may only be one.
This am my neighbor found a LARGE feral cat in a leg trap(yes, leg traps are used widely out here- I don't like them, but other's use them). That cat will not be killing any more of anything. (now don't get pissy with me- It wasn't my home where this was caught- I might have tried to save the cat, but there isn't anywhere that would take a feral here.....no Humane Society or rescue, etc).

As soon as I can get some muscle help, will lift the coop with the tractor and see 'what' might be living under it. (if it is a rattler it WILL say Hello to a 22g).
One down, one to go....

When I raised chicken and ducks, I always shut them up tight at night and let them out early in the morning. That way they were safe. Their house was built on wheels, don't know what it was used for, till I got it. Anyway, it had windows and I made a flap door I could latch down good in the evening when they all were in. It had a full sized door I could go through to get to clean it out or gather the eggs. It was a pretty good sized chicken house. Hope you catch whatever is getting your flock.

Sue

I'm of the opinion that anyone who thinks it's OK to use a leg hold trap should spend a few hours in one - I bet they would change their mind.

Again - I may be wrong but that is my opinion.

I raise chickens too, and I also shut them up at night, but I want to suggest it might be a rat. I skimmed the answers quickly, so I don't know if anyone suggested that, but large rats will do that. I have only ever seen one rat here, but a rat squeezed into a cage where I was raising some baby squirrels, and killed and ate it on the spot. The squirrel was almost big enough to be released, so I know they will eat eggs. They can squeeze into a very small space.

ilmbg, where/what state are you in? Can you 'patch' that 2x4 hole with some hardware cloth?
Leslie

carma- remember, please, that it is not myself who used the leg trap. I also don't like the idea of one, but out here in rural Wyoming they are used EVERYWHERE- for small predators to wolves to bear. Many farmers have livestock for a living, and as cruel as it seems, they can't lose their livestock.
I don't even own a gun...I'd shoot too many people!

Last night my neighbor caught a HUGE raccoon....second one down......

grammahony- I want to move the coop- so I think I will add some smaller wire...

Back in the day when we raised chickens and ducks, we lost several chickens and all of our Mallards to wild minks. They are sneaky and nasty little buggers and difficult to catch too. But we did catch a few of them. We ended up building better housing for the chickens so that predators couldn't get in.

Helen