Extremely graphic.. Do not view then complain.. Predator reality

[centrarchid]

Raptor reached through with foot, grabbed victim, pulled to side then began to feed. I will venture to say raptor was also small possibly even a sharp-shinned or even an American Kestrel. Victim is a small delicate bird yet bones are articulated and intact which is not consistent with a bone crunching raccoon or opossum but very consistent with a raptor. Raccoons do have good salivary function, old wivestail in place concerning need for washing food.


I have watched raccoons consume chickens and they like roll it around as consuming it as well a dismember. Result is a wet item from a combination of saliva and body fluids from carcass.

 

[av8torcrj]

Nothing in the live trap this am. Yes, the hawk seen atop the loft is a sharp shinned or coopers. Very swift, almost invisible as its camoflaged form darts through the trees. I left the carcass as found for several hours yesterday to see if there was any additional feeding. There seemed to be some but it was not witnessed. I'm open to the possibility of raptor. It gives me a whole new perspective on what they might be capable of.

 

[centrarchid]

Show a picture of location birds attacked. Fix might be simple.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Night time attack and it spent a little time there. Pulled through the side of the pen, not the top.

Raccoon not hawk.

 

[sourland]

I believe that a raccoon would have broken and eaten the bones rather than strip the meat. I'm guessing raptor on this kill. I've frequently had Cooper's hanging on my aviaries trying to get at my birds through .5" X 1" mesh unsuccessfully.

 

[av8torcrj]

When I say night time attack I mean it was found in the relatively early morning. It could have happened during early daylight hours which I have noticed is a time when the hawk is hunting or at least at times seen.
The photo is of the front of the loft. The bird was penned above the "trap door" entrance and landing board for the birds. The trap door was securely closed. The bobs were in an open position as I had been doing some training. This provided a spot where the pigeon could have conceivably roosted near the wire thereby allowing it to be caught.
The solution is obvious, smaller gauge openings in the wire or smarter birds. What has been surprising is that a predator can have the dexterity to do this through a 1x1 opening. As a side note, if you look carefully into the loft and down to the bottom right back side you can see where something a few weeks ago shredded a portion of the tarp covering in an effort to gain access.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I believe that a raccoon would have broken and eaten the bones rather than strip the meat. I'm guessing raptor on this kill. I've frequently had Cooper's hanging on my aviaries trying to get at my birds through .5" X 1" mesh unsuccessfully.

I've had coons pull chicks through a cage and only eat a few parts. Also break into the cellar and just eat a few guts. No bones or anything else.
I know it was coons because they were on camera.

 

[chkn]

Raccoons are notorious for pulling bird parts through wire mesh. You can come out and have all legs missing or a wing. The hawk in this case was probably just the cleanup crew.

 

[gawildlife]

Not just birds getting pulled through wire. Coons will grab anything within reach through the wire. In my industry one of the common rookie mistakes is setting cage traps for coons without taking this into account. A cage trap on the roof without a barrier between the trap and the roof results in a trapped coon stripping shingles off the roof. Same thing in an attic equals a cage full of insulation and romex wiring. I once had a technician forget this when he loaded a caged coon into the back of his truck. That coon pulled a complete pair of men's carhartt canvas coveralls through a 1"x1" hole.
Remember this when setting traps for coon and skunk to a lesser degree. To avoid damage place the cage on solid surface out of reach of grabable objects or secure solid barriers like plywood or 1/2"x1" mesh to the cage.

BTW, your better models of cage traps, usually sold as professional models, come with 1/2"x1" or better.

 

[gawildlife]

Also consider lawns and decks, both can be severely damaged by a caged coon.