Bloody Butt feathers

[BirdLadyWingfield]

I have a 15 week old Tom with bloody butt feathers and bloody beak. He is free-Range during the day and placed on the TOP of the chicken coop at night. He didn’t appear to be bleeding when I put him up there last night. This morning when I came out, he was already down roaming around (as always). I could see the bloody streaks running down the top of the coop. I thought it was his stools, but it’s just blood!!!! His beak is covered in dried blood. He has left himself with only a few tail feathers and they are stained with blood. Any reason why he could be doing this to himself? Stress?

 

[Molpet]

Do you have great horned owls

 

[BirdLadyWingfield]

Do you have great horned owls

Well I do live in Va. I do hear owls every now and then. Could they be attacking him?

 

[Molpet]

Well I do live in Va. I do hear owls every now and then. Could they be attacking him?

It's a possibility. Juvenile are out learning to hunt by me.
Last Dec my 4 year old tom was killed and half his neck eaten.

 

[BirdLadyWingfield]

It's a possibility. Juvenile are out learning to hunt by me.
Last Dec my 4 year old tom was killed and half his neck eaten.

Well dang!! I already lost the hen about a week n a half ago, but figured that was a coyote. That’s why I started putting him up at night. I did not anticipate attacks from above as well……

 

[Molpet]

Well dang!! I already lost the hen about a week n a half ago, but figured that was a coyote. That’s why I started putting him up at night. I did not anticipate attacks from above as well……

Coyotes can jump. I had a pet one years ago and he could get on top of a 6 ft tall shed. They can go over a 6ft fence

 

[R2elk]

Coyotes can jump. I had a pet one years ago and he could get on top of a 6 ft tall shed. They can go over a 6ft fence

A friend had a coyote that would scatter its feed around instead of eating it. He was using it as bait. When the songbirds would go after the food he would leap and take them out of the air as high as 8' up as they flew away.

 

[BirdLadyWingfield]

Well, guess I’ll just have to count it as a lose when he comes up missing……I can’t afford another enclosure to put him inside at the moment. Plus, the labor of digging around to bury the fencing..

 

[BirdLadyWingfield]

Buddy, the Tom, lives to see another day!!! But, his rooster companion Winston has disappeared though! Have not been able to find him this morning. Still haven’t found a carcass. I don’t even see any feathers, like he put up a fight or anything!!!!!!

 

[Molpet]

Buddy, the Tom, lives to see another day!!! But, his rooster companion Winston has disappeared though! Have not been able to find him this morning. Still haven’t found a carcass. I don’t even see any feathers, like he put up a fight or anything!!!!!!

I had a couple chickens disappear and found feathers out in the pasture by coyote poop.
They will keep picking off your flock until:
they get them all and move on
Get killed themselves
Or your birds are locked up so they can't get to them.