{graphic Pics!!} - What Did This???!!!!

[Inkheart]

Quote:
The holes were not large. And I do not believe that snakes would massacre 10 birds in that fashion. Since it happened I have done plenty of research...the behavior and habits of mink seem to fit pretty much 100% with what I encountered in my coop/ run.

Sorry yes - one Ohio mink victim to another !

 

[KCchickens]

Oh my! Your poor babies! They must have been so scared!

I will do my best to get revenge ( only on animals who get my birds) if I were you, amongst other methods of pest control, take out that critter.

I'm am so sorry for your loss * gives hugs*

 

[carrlr]

Sorry for your loss. Didn't have time to read all the post but that's classic weasel or mink activity. They like to suck the blood, usually through a neck wound and have an unbelievable ability to wipe out several birds at one time. I'd use a small live trap with small holes and perhaps a bowl with chicken livers w/blood like you can get at the grocery store. Perhaps place it right were they exit the hole inside your run. They can fit through a remarkably small space, so make sure the trap's wire size isnt too big. Good luck.

 

[Jferlisi]

Quote:
She was quite upset when we found her. One of our dogs startled her and she made a noise or we might not have. She just has some small scrapes around her beak from the fall she took to be wedged where she was.

We added a mirror next to her and she's been talking away to "the other chicken". The mirror really seemed to lift her spirits. I'm so glad that we found her before nightfall or they probably would have came back for her.

Here's a picture of her:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/69289_lucky.jpg

She is a beauty, i am sorry for your lose. May i ask what breed she is?

 

[deerman]

MINK....caught one after an attack....coons would kill that many , but would eat some off each,,,mink go for the blood ,not so much the meat.

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
That's the part that really gets to me about any predator attack. How scared the chickens had to be, trapped in the coop or brooder with no escape..........
I had a large snake get in my brooder last year and eat 5 chicks. It was obvious he chased them around for awhile first, the survivors were in shock and one died later that day. I cried the whole time hunting down that snake and killing him. Those babies had to be so scared!

I'm very sorry for your loss and I hope you're able to remove your predator.

 

[elevan]

Quote:
She was quite upset when we found her. One of our dogs startled her and she made a noise or we might not have. She just has some small scrapes around her beak from the fall she took to be wedged where she was.

We added a mirror next to her and she's been talking away to "the other chicken". The mirror really seemed to lift her spirits. I'm so glad that we found her before nightfall or they probably would have came back for her.

Here's a picture of her:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/69289_lucky.jpg

She is a beauty, i am sorry for your lose. May i ask what breed she is?

Thank you. I got all of my chickens as a mixed batch from the hatchery and I really haven't been able to 100% determine what her breed is. Although I believe that she may be a Silver Lakenvelder

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Re: Minks
While is may seem like a blood lust crime scene to us, minks/weasels are just doing what comes naturally.
We are humanizing them when we judge how they hunt. When faced with a large number of food sources, such as a flock, they dispatch as many as they can. The biological programming has them return to their "harvest" as hunger necessitates. Humans do the same thing, we call it hunting, buying in bulk, culling, slaughtering, harvesting, freezer camp etc... we just haul it home to freeze and eat as hunger necessitates
Not a judgement...just the facts.

I am so sorry about the loss of your flock.

 

[Jferlisi]

Quote:
She is a beauty, i am sorry for your lose. May i ask what breed she is?

Thank you. I got all of my chickens as a mixed batch from the hatchery and I really haven't been able to 100% determine what her breed is. Although I believe that she may be a Silver Lakenvelder

She is very pretty i just got two new baby silver lakenvelders 2 days ago. they sure are pretty birds.

 

[BloominOrchid]

Hands down a mink.
I owned many many ferrets, close relative of the mink, and any time they got any kind of toy they would "kill" the toy the same way back of the head and drag it to a pile or the hide hole. and well the smell, thats the indicator!
So sorry for your loss