It will take time, but i might end up getting more birds someday. i will be moving soon so it might be years before the next flock, if any. but i will definitely take your advice into account. thank you.
aww i'm so sorry. i'm glad at least someone knows what i'm going through here... i'm still just completely stunned and have no idea how to process this. i cared immensely for my birds, and i was still grieving over previous losses when this happened. damn those raccoons!
i'm especially upset...
at this point i am pretty sure it was a raccoon. i do have a housecat that likes to hunt, but he's never taken an interest in the birds, and i don't think he's wily enough to find a way in the coop. the lack of evidence is startling but i have no doubt a raccoon would be smart enough to get...
yeah, i thought of rats, but there would be no way for them to not leave at least a small amount of carnage. you couldn't fit a quail skeleton through chicken wire without leaving something behind. i seriously doubt they were killed in the coop, and they were too fat to fit through the chicken...
two sides were plywood. two sides were chicken wire and mesh. the bottom was just chicken wire so poop could fall through. the roof was chicken wire and mesh. i had four birds yesterday.
upon further inspection some disturbing details have come up. there are two small smears of fresh blood on...
THEY'RE GONE! I CHECKED EVERYTHING. THE LATCH ON THE COOP WAS SHUT THE SAME WAY I LEFT IT. NO HOLES OR GAPS IN THE PERIMETER. NO BLOOD OR CARNAGE. NOTHING. THEY'RE GONE. WTF. I AM LITERALLY FREAKING OUT.