What's the most likely culprit?

[Mahlzeit]

So I have a small coop for my young birds which has a wire bottom. I have been rotating babies in it from the spring on this year with no issues. Last night however it seems something went underneath it and chewed of some toes on 4 of my chicks. They must have been hanging through the wire floor or I don't see how else this could happen.

This is a picture of the coop with the older pullets which just got moved to my big coop.

These next pics are of 2 different chicks while we were soaking off the caked up dirt and cleaning their toes.









Anyone have any ideas what the most likely culprits could be?

 

[GitaBooks]

Poor little guys.

Chewing is more common with rats then other predators, so I'm guessing rat.

 

[Mahlzeit]

It's not rats. There are no rats here plenty of feral cat's keeping them away and it would be really tough for them to hang upside down from the wire while chewing. It's too high off the ground for a rat to stand and reach them. I would assume it was bit off in one bit because I can't imagine a chick staying in one place while its to is being chewed.

 

[GitaBooks]

I agree. I guess it would be a coon then. Do the cats and chickens get along?

 

[Mahlzeit]

My dog keeps the cats away while the chickens are out the only time they come around is night when everything is locked up.

 

[baah]

Night time is the BEST time for chicken thievery & murder so I would suggest a canine night watchman!! Must you put your dog up at night? He would be MOST useful at night! My guess about the culprit would also be raccoons b/c those crafty little hands can literally pull a chicken piece by piece through chicken wire...actually through almost anything except the smallest gauge hardware cloth & during an uninterrupted night 'coons would have plenty of time to eat your flock, a toe at a time.

 

[Mahlzeit]

It is small hardware cloth nothing but toes could fit through and I can't leave him out at night

 

[aart]

1/2" mesh on the bottom?

I think a coon or a rat could hang off that...and small coon could reach thru it.

 

[MeeMa Brown]

We put inches of filter sand over our hardware cloth wire and feet don't touch it. Any vole traces in the area?

 

[Mahlzeit]

1/2" mesh on the bottom?

I think a coon or a rat could hang off that...and small coon could reach thru it.

1/4" mesh. A raccoon would be able to stand up under it and bite their toes. I don't have any rats here the cats running around make sure of that. I would have to imagine the toes were bit off in one bit i can't see a baby standing there while letting an animal gnaw on its foot.