Anyone been able to find the chicks after the hen is killed?

[bocephus]

This is actually about my turkeys. They live in the sheep barn but when they go broody they like to find random spots on the property to do it. One hen was missing and just emerged yesterday with 8 or so poults, probably a day or two old.

Today I went to look for them and saw my dog interested in something. Ended up finding a trail of feathers and a very lift of what I'm guessing is the hen. All I found was what appears to be an esophagus and a couple patches of skin with feathers on them. I gave one of the chunks of skin/feathers a sniff and it didn't stink yet, so pretty fresh.

Any chance the poults made it? At that age a coyote or fox(which is my prime suspect) would have been able to swallow them whole. Any tips for finding them if there's a chance? There's a lot of thick brush which I was digging through and there's a soybean field which if they went in there there's no chance of me finding them.

 

[calicokat]

I'd say there's a chance. Right now they are probably panicked and hiding - if the animal didn't get them.

Give it just a bit of time for them to settle down, then go out and quietly listen - they'll likely be peeping to each other and trying to gather up. If you are good an impersonating your birds, trying bawk-bawking a little yourself and see if there are any responses.

Keep us posted, and I'll keep my fingers crossed!!

 

[iheartnh]

Awwww...sad!!! I agree with calicokat - give them some time, then listen for the peeps. My dog chased a wild turkey who was cutting through our yard with her 6 chicks, and they all scattered. It took mom 5 hours of calling before any of the chicks would respond to her, and hours after that before they would come out of hiding. I found several of them hunkered down right in my lawn (which needed mowing, the grass was about 5 inches long) - but I had to really SEARCH for them - and I thought they were dead, because they were completely still, even when I touched one, they wouldn't move. I had to wait to see them blink to know they were alive. It was a long day - I kept my dog in the house so they could reunite, and he would go bananas every time she called to them.

Anyway - please update when you can!