Woke up early this morning to a backyard full of feathers and one dead body accounted for. While I was out very late last night, my sister had forgotten to put our two roosters in at dusk and didn't tell anyone. It's unclear whether it occurred at night or early this morning, but I was hoping you guys might be able to give me an idea of what the predator might've been.
I live in Maine. The only thing I've seen around here are LOTS of deer (at least 10 visit the garden each night), a stray cat or two, skunks, and possums. We live in a neighborhood with houses nearby but enough space to have woods/trees in between. We have a 3 acre lot with dense trees and forest all around the back and nearby roads. There's mostly grassy marshland out behind the house. I've never seen or heard any coyotes around here.
There are two large piles of torn-out feathers out in the open yard, with various feathers strewn across the grass. Leroy was found at the edge of the garden with mangled feathers and his entire neck/head gone. We searched the nearby parameters in the woods and in the marsh but could not find Brutus's body. We only found his feathers with blood on them, so it's unlikely he got away.
My first guess is a fox. The feathers are too spread out and they were not enclosed in a coop for it to have been a weasel. I don't believe even a full-grown cat could've taken down two full-grown roosters and taken off the entire neck and head of one of them, although I suppose it's possible. The fact that we have so many deer around here and I have never heard or seen a coyote leads me to believe it wasn't that.
Any ideas?
Today is such a sad day. What a terrible thing to happen to these two young, spunky roosters. They didn't even have a chance. They were absolutely beautiful, not even a year old. We still have our one hen, who we recently adopted; she was thankfully in her own enclosed pen for the night because she was being quarantined.
Here is Brutus, taken this past winter:
And here is Leroy, the brave underdog:
Rest in peace, little babies. You will be missed greatly. Say hello to Ivory up there in heaven for me.
I live in Maine. The only thing I've seen around here are LOTS of deer (at least 10 visit the garden each night), a stray cat or two, skunks, and possums. We live in a neighborhood with houses nearby but enough space to have woods/trees in between. We have a 3 acre lot with dense trees and forest all around the back and nearby roads. There's mostly grassy marshland out behind the house. I've never seen or heard any coyotes around here.
There are two large piles of torn-out feathers out in the open yard, with various feathers strewn across the grass. Leroy was found at the edge of the garden with mangled feathers and his entire neck/head gone. We searched the nearby parameters in the woods and in the marsh but could not find Brutus's body. We only found his feathers with blood on them, so it's unlikely he got away.
My first guess is a fox. The feathers are too spread out and they were not enclosed in a coop for it to have been a weasel. I don't believe even a full-grown cat could've taken down two full-grown roosters and taken off the entire neck and head of one of them, although I suppose it's possible. The fact that we have so many deer around here and I have never heard or seen a coyote leads me to believe it wasn't that.
Any ideas?
Today is such a sad day. What a terrible thing to happen to these two young, spunky roosters. They didn't even have a chance. They were absolutely beautiful, not even a year old. We still have our one hen, who we recently adopted; she was thankfully in her own enclosed pen for the night because she was being quarantined.
Here is Brutus, taken this past winter:
And here is Leroy, the brave underdog:
Rest in peace, little babies. You will be missed greatly. Say hello to Ivory up there in heaven for me.
