dead quail

[DLS]

I had something get in my quail pen. it killed 5 birds. the pen is 10 x20 chain link dog pen covered with of hardware cloth (rabbit wire) & a tin roof. whatever got in did not destroy the birds carcus but just ruffeled the neck feathers & the eyes were gone - BUT the rest of the bird looked OK.I found a small hole in the hardware cloth less than 1/2 the size of 1 chain link square..was it a weasle?
someone said that a rat can kill quail?? is that so?? if so what does a rat do to kill them? and do they drink the blood or eat the bird?
any one chime in PLEASE
Thank you
Dan

 

[becky3086]

Snake, I have had them kill but not eat the quail several times. If the snake isn't big enough when it tries to swallow the quail it will get the head down and have to spit it back up, still the snakes juices cause the eyes to dissolve or whatever it does. I have had snakes do this with my bantam chickens as well.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
That's just nasty!

 

[oldguy]

if it were a snake the birds will appear to have been soaked in water, they will look wet - sometimes happens to my homing pigeons when they get one too big to swallow

 

[Birdman18]

There has to be a way to get rid of snakes, i couldnt imagine having them where i'am, i'm complaining about the squirrels but i would think snakes are worse, squirrels dont really get into pens and kill birds, its not that common.
I saw this book online where it tells you ways to get rid of any garden pest or predator you could think of, i might just buy that book and give out the information here.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
thats what i was thinking, thier saliva is pretty sticky too so even after it dried im pretty sure the feathers would still have a distinctive look. My guess was weasle but the snake theory deffinatly is interesting I had never thought of that (the eye issue)!

 

[becky3086]

Quote:
We just killed a 6 ft one with that was eating a mille fleur roo with a pair of loppers. Yup, you can defiitely get rid of them. Unfortunately, it wasn't our first one, killed a 4 ft one before that, he got a bantam roostere and a full sized hen (bantam had the ruffled, wet look but full sized hen just died from getting bit. We have lost another full sized hen and roo since then, I am keeping on the look out for another snake. We live by the lake here in GA but mostly we have the king snakes killing the chickens although last year we had a non venimous water snake get the quail.

 

[DLS]

I am in Ga. also. I have some rat snakes . I I have seen black, coachwip,king , & canebreak snakes here . I better take a look at what to do about them.
Thanks
Dan

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
MOTH BALLS--- SCATTER THEM AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR PEN. SNAKES ARE EITHER SENSITIVE TO THE SMELL OR ITS TOXIC TO THEM? ONE OR THE OTHER..... PROFESSIONAL PEST CONTROL FOLKS USE THEM!

 

[DLS]

moth balls & I also red on the packager of snake repellant it is 100% sulpher BUt a bag of sulpher is 1/2 the cost of repellant.