Did my chicken kill my chicks...or something else?

[Bug n Flock]

Im sorry. My phone is clearly on its last legs I'll go now. Sweet dog, fresh wounds, also someone cut one ear a chunk from and put an office staple in her ear. Had to be up close, looking her in the eye when they did it.

 

[Aunt Angus]

This is awful! I am so sorry!


I'd search the grass for BBs. I live in a semi rural neighborhood, and we caught our neighbor shooting at our cats. A friend of mine had his dog shot by BBs, and the wound was a small hole, much like that. The BB was still in her dog, though. The vet dug it out.

I can't say that's what it was, but you'd find BBs somewhere if it was. It would at least eliminate the neighbors if you didn't find any evidence.

 

[Apocalypse]

Are there exit wounds on both birds?
I would expect more feathers strewn around for a predator.


Actually in retrospect, that looks like a potential failed carry-off by a bird of prey.
Their talons pinch/pierce from both sides like that, and no meat would be taken yet.
Do you have hawks or falcons around?

 

[Amc29]

This is awful! I am so sorry!


I'd search the grass for BBs. I live in a semi rural neighborhood, and we caught our neighbor shooting at our cats. A friendof minehad his dog shot by BBs, and the wound was a small hole, much like that. The BB was still in her dog, though. The vet dug it out.

I can't say that's what it was, but you'd find BBs somewhere if it was. It would at least eliminate the neighbors if you didn't find any evidence.

We have looked a bit with my metal detector, and I will try some more tomorrow. The problem is that it picks up so much stuff right in that area that it is a time-consuming project. That coop has been there for as long as I can remember...so probably around 30 years (I moved into my childhood home when my dad decided to move into a smaller place after the loss of my mom), and there have been a lot of projects (coop improvement and otherwise) that have resulted in staples and other bits of metal getting lost in the grass and buried in the soil. I am not an expert with my detector yet, so deciphering the different sounds and signals and what the number mean are not something I am great at, and I therefore dig up everything (except iron...that has a very distinct sound).

 

[Amc29]

Are there exit wounds on both birds?
I would expect more feathers strewn around for a predator.


Actually in retrospect, that looks like a potential failed carry-off by a bird of prey.
Their talons pinch/pierce from both sides like that, and no meat would be taken yet.
Do you have hawks or falcons around?

Both birds do have exit wounds (or at least puncture holes on both sides). We do occasionally have hawks around here. I don't see them very often...mostly red-tail hawks, I believe. We apparently have quite a list of varieties that live around here, just not so commonly sighted by me.

 

[cmom]

Did you put up your game cameras yet? It's been almost 2 years ago now that I also caught a two legged thief on my property. Things began to be missing. It was someone we knew coming around 3 am. At first I tried to stay up but never figured out what night the thief would be around so I put up cameras.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Both birds do have exit wounds (or at least puncture holes on both sides). We do occasionally have hawks around here. I don't see them very often...mostly red-tail hawks, I believe. We apparently have quite a list of varieties that live around here, just not so commonly sighted by me.

I once had a chick get its head pulled off by a Cooper's Hawk - it was in an exercise pen with netting around the outside (about 1' up)...I actually saw the hawk jumping at the side of the pen but it was too late by the time I got out there. To this day, I'm not entirely sure how the hawk reached the chick, unless it somehow stretched the plastic netting out enough to reach in.

Sorry for your loss. I know how unpleasant it is to make that kind of discovery.

 

[Amc29]

Did you put up your game cameras yet? It's been almost 2 years ago now that I also caught a two legged thief on my property. Things began to be missing. It was someone we knew coming around 3 am. At first I tried to stay up but never figured out what night the thief would be around so I put up cameras.

We got the camera put up this morning. Sorry to hear you had those issues! We will see if anything is caught, and hopefully not a person. Critters are easier dealt with.

 

[cmom]

Please post any pictures. Just curious if you catch any predators. A coyote around the coops. I heard the birds fussing last night and now I know why.