must be a stinkin' weasel (graphic)

[Rustywreck]

On their third night in the new pen, something killed one of my baby turkeys. The pen is built the same as my chickens run, and nothing has bothered my chickens.
The turkey pen has 4' of chicken wire covered by 6' of welded wire. The perimeter has an apron of chicken and welded wire - it was built with raccoons in mind.
Some loathsome critter got in (probably through the 2"x4" holes in the top of the welded wire), killed the turkey; but was unable to get it out. There are four places inside the pen where the critter tried to dig its way out, but was unable to because the the apron. There is no place on the outside where anything tried to dig into the pen.

This is the poor dead turkey from inside the pen

This is the poor dead turkey from outisde the pen

This a picture of two of the holes the loathsome critter dug trying to get out

I rigged up a makeshift weasel trap out of a rat trap inside of the pop carton with some deli meat inside - it was all I had available.
Any ideas what else it could be if not a weasel?

 

[NonnasBabies]

Sorry you lost one!!

Not sure what it could be!! You might wanna add (Graphic Pic) on your heading!! Some people get offended

 

[njduck]

Mink

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
That would be my guess, too. In my experience with weasels, they've just punctured a vein in the neck or under the wing and consumed the blood.

 

[njduck]

a weasel could fit right through that chicken wire. the tunnel is too small for a coon, possum, or skunk. Also depending on your neighbors and economy a ferret.

I had a complete family of ferrets on my farm. Obviously someone had released a pair. game warden thought they would die do to lack of being wild. They survived for a year and even reproduced. This past winter got them.

 

[Rustywreck]

Graphic added, thanks for that.

The sand in the pen was deeper, but the 7" of rain that fell Monday night washed some of it away.
Some of the damage to the carcass could be from the other turkeys. I witnessed a few of the other turkeys pecking at it. I tried to look for tracks, but the turkeys were all over the place messing up any sign, along with the sand being hard from the rain.
The holes, or tunnels, don't go all the way through, they stop when the run into the outside fencing. My guess is that is why whatever it was tried four different places to dig it way out instead of just one.

It is such a helpless feeling being at work and wondering what the turkeys are going through.