Mass unknown deaths

[Akane]

Sunday we found 3 partially decapitated quail hanging through the bars of the pen in the coop. We got home late and the coop didn't get closed until well after dark so I figured something got in there. No big deal, it was only 3 of 100, and we were butchering Tuesday. Tuesday we did not get them all butchered and there were around 40 left in the large pen in the coop. Some time between when I pulled the 2nd cage full to butcher Tuesday and monday morning about 5 died. I figured it was stress from not being fed Tuesday and some that got hauled out in the 2nd cage got put back as it was getting dark Tuesday evening. Those were probably some very stressed quail. Quail were fed tuesday night, around 8 this morning, 4 pm, and just now at 9pm with layer feed since I ran out of gamebird feed and didn't get another bag planning to butcher them anyway. This is the same layer feed I have been feeding my breeders that are in the house.

10 more quail were found dead no mark on them in the pen just now. They were in piles with 3 in one back corner and the rest loosely in the other back corner. 1 was still twitching so I brought it in and cut it open in the sink. Full crop of food, no noticeable bruising in the meat, and several spots of bright blood on the skin of the breast with no visible external injuries or damage to internal organs. There was an orange cat hanging around Tuesday evening and it was up by the house when we went out to feed and close the coop tonight. We have had slightly cool nights but it frosted a few days ago and I didn't lose any so I don't see how it would effect them at this age while in a building. My first guess was they are being stressed to death by something like the coon or the orange cat and maybe it was attracted by all the quail butchered on Tuesday. Any other ideas? We were going to wait until next Tuesday to finish them off but at this rate I might try to find the time to butcher the remaining ones tomorrow.

 

[monarc23]

sounds like it could be exactly what you're thinking it is. We have a lot of feral cats around here and so far

they have been completley oblivious to my birds (atleast they pretend to be). I'd assume the same thing if that was an issue I was dealing with... scared to death, and grabbed by a cat when one stuck it's head through the wire? Sounds like it to me...IMO.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

Sounds more like a weasel. They can get in in a very small opening and they will kill and stack more than they eat. Just wasteful little murderers!

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
I thought that too but normally weasles/minks will wipe out everything they can, and they could surely fit in the pen and have a field day. My friends rabbitry was hit every night for a LOOONNNg time before they were able to trap the stinker. She'd go out every morning to her does throats tore out and some organ eaten (forget which) and that was it it was horrible.

 

[Boyd]

 

[rachel]

Ugh that's awful, both about the quail and about the rabbits.
I caught a feral cat in the act last week, I had my "not-for-breeding" birds (runts etc) in a small temporary cage staked to the ground, the cat got one bird part way out and ate it's head.

The stacking thing is weird though, I don't think a cat would do that. Also, your dead birds would be in bad shape like the first ones you found... could a cat be stalking them causing them to flush and break their necks or heads?
I don't know too much about raccoons and weasels since I've never lived where they are.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

monarc23 wrote: sounds like it could be exactly what you're thinking it is. We have a lot of feral cats around here and so far they have been completley oblivious to my birds (atleast they pretend to be).

Same here the feral cats around my place if anything dig a little on the coop frame then leave. IF its them it hasnt be confirmed although once I randomly looked at the side of my coop and there was this MASSIVE cat just laying there looking at me (not my chickens

)​

 

[redhen]

well...inside my own house..my cute little house cats (

) pulled a few of my quail through the bars on their cage.. it wasnt pretty..

. and these were indoor sissy cats....so..an outdoor feral cat is capable.

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

well I know how much damage a cat can do to a flock of birds -- my first flock of button quail were enjoying life in the outside run we had for them - we were late one night locking them in thier little hut and a mother cat and her young kitten pulled the wire just enough to get thier paws in and as the birds freaked she must have been able to grab them and pull them out we found dead birds in and out of the run some missing heads - and at least 2 birds were never found - of the 11 birds we were left with only 2 hens ( thank god I had about 15 eggs in the bator from them breeding )

I have never heard of a cat stacking dead animals like it was going to come back later for them .... I no ideas about mink/weasels since in my area I dont ever see them


sorry to hear something is happening to them - I hope you get it figured out soon

 

[Akane]

I was thinking more the quail were just freaking into the back corners and stacking themselves as they got killed. They were not in a tight pile but laying next to each other with some overlap. I did some shuffling and managed to bring the rest inside last night. They were exhausted, stressed, and completely inactive. 2 I thought would die but this morning just like the past 2 mornings they were running about. I can't think of anything else that would cause them to go from active in the morning and afternoon to so many dead and the rest huddled up not moving just after dark. They eat the same food and drink the same water in the morning as evening and it's not that cold out this time of year. They seem to recover after the coop door has been shut so something must be slipping in just before or right at dusk before the door gets shut and then running off before we see it. However all my chickens including the young bantams that aren't much bigger than the quail are all perfectly fine.

I may be setting a cat trap for our visitor even though I haven't seen it near the coop just to be certain that isn't our problem. Then the tree that I know the coons are hiding in will be cut down soon because it's so hollow it's quite a hazard anyway. The top fell off of it in the last storm.