dead gunieas

[Andi44]

Tonight I went to lock up and realized 3 of my guineas were missing..I searched the woods and found 2 piles of feathers (one small and one large) and near the pile I found a body..head missing and it looks like a clean cut. any ideas what it could have been?

(edit to add..this was a daytime attack)

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I would say a racoon or fox

 

[Andi44]

I would say a racoon or fox

my first thought was a racoon but I wasn't sure because it got 3 and I thought a fox would take the body?

 

[50-45-1]

Fox would take the body.
I say owl

 

[Andi44]

Fox would take the body.
I say owl

do they attack during the day also? whatever it was it got 3 but only left the one body

 

[BuckeyeAmy69]

I vote Owl, and they do attack during the day.

 

[NeoHomesteader]

I was just reading about this because of a possible owl in a tree near my flock. There are day and night attack owls. Owls will attack other birds and decapitate them because they only eat the brain as it is high in fat, unlike the smaller animals they ingest whole.

 

[Andi44]

my only thing is I think its a ground predator just because it took 3 within 8 hours all in the same area. only the one body was found the rest was just feathers

 

[BuckeyeAmy69]

my only thing is I think its a ground predator just because it took 3 within 8 hours all in the same area. only the one body was found the rest was just feathers

An owl will do that. They have young to feed this time of year. They will take as many as they can get.

 

[Andi44]

An owl will do that. They have young to feed this time of year. They will take as many as they can get.

I didnt know that. thank you!