Bad day...4 losses 😫

[sunnie7]

I found one of my older keets that I moved to the pen under the playhouse with a missing head so I guess the 2ft of HC wasn’t tall enough or something climbed and reached in. I’m guessing raccoon? Aren’t they usually the ones that just rip off the head?
Then of my 10day olds I just moved them into my dog crate brooder from a smaller brooder inside the garage and I’ve used this same one time and time again no issues ever and I found 3 dead today....don’t seem to be injuried so I’m clueless.....we did have a boil water advisory but I wouldn’t think that was it....
Then yesterday down by my goats and chickens this was found...I was just saying on here awhile ago that we haven’t had snake issues it didn’t cause any harm but my pup wasn’t letting it get anywhere!

 

[sunnie7]

My in laws took care of the animals while we were out of town or a few days....if my cat got into my garage could it have reached in the dog crate and killed the baby guineas without really messing them up much?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

My in laws took care of the animals while we were out of town or a few days....if my cat got into my garage could it have reached in the dog crate and killed the baby guineas without really messing them up much?

I’m so sorry about your string of losses! So hard to lose the keets! I think that multiple predators will take the head, but the raccoon is a pretty notorious killer that is likely to do that. As for your indoor keets, I think it’s anyone’s guess without more information... Cats can leave a pretty clean carcass, with small punctures that are difficult to see. However, sudden death can also occur due to impaction, toxin, infection, temperature change, etc. Were you able to come up with a fix for your playhouse cage?

 

[sunnie7]

I’m so sorry about your string of losses! So hard to lose the keets! I think that multiple predators will take the head, but the raccoon is a pretty notorious killer that is likely to do that. As for your indoor keets, I think it’s anyone’s guess without more information... Cats can leave a pretty clean carcass, with small punctures that are difficult to see. However, sudden death can also occur due to impaction, toxin, infection, temperature change, etc. Were you able to come up with a fix for your playhouse cage?

We leave for vacation in 2 days so I’m going to go out right after dinner and try to get hardware cloth around the upper portion. There’s places on all sides a racoon could climb so I’m guessing that’s what it was. I also recounted (five times) and I think one is gone.

 

[sunnie7]

As for the younger one’s they seemed to be huddled so I lowered the heat lamp some and I put vitamins in their water. If it was impaction or infection is there anything else I can do?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

As for the younger one’s they seemed to be huddled so I lowered the heat lamp some and I put vitamins in their water. If it was impaction or infection is there anything else I can do?

They are probably very stressed from the attack and losing flockmates. You could offer electrolytes in water (plus plan water), but making them feel safer is the best thing for their peace of mind.