Nothing I have read match this slaughter ....

[melodie_a]

Oh my goodness. I am of no help with id'ing the culprit but I am so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how devastating that would be.


*edited because autocorrect hates me!

 

[curdogs]

It would take a lot of power to pull, rip or brake the legs of a chicken. I would definitely keep pepper spray close at all times.

Ok I see in one post you say there is no bit marks.

 

[angsaidso]

i want to thank everyone for your suggestions and I will take each one and use what I can from all of you!!!!

Turns out it is a GIANT raccoon! We saw it last night while it literally grabbed my male wood duck and pulled it's insides out. Weird ... early this morning ... it didn't rip the sides off this time it made holes (literal holes) in the sides and pulled everything out through the holes. Got my last male pheasant and my male wood duck. I was able to get the female wood duck and my last remaining hen pheasant to safety ... I will try to post pics in a bit here so that people can see what it looks like ... in case anyone else sees a similar slaughter, they will know it is a raccoon ...

Tonight the hunt is on using some extra guinea males I have. I WILL kill it one way or another.

Ang

 

[Scott H]

If you saw it why didn't you shoot it? Not being smart, just want the story. How did it get in? Good luck getting rid of the varmint.

 

[angsaidso]

I was sleeping and my daughter and friend were keeping watch ... by the time I realized what was going on in my sleepy stupor, he had gotten away. I don't honestly KNOW how he got in. There are still NO HOLES or anything in the fencing or netting!!!! Stupid dumb thing. But now that I know he comes around four AM, I can lay in wait for him. I will use live bait tonight and will be ready with loaded weapon in hand

 

[ivan3]

angsaidso wrote: But now that I know he comes around four AM, I can lay in wait for him. I will use live bait tonight and will be ready with loaded weapon in hand

Good luck on the stake out. To abrogate live bait/hunter stress in the future: another option that I didn't mention in previous post owing to the apparently Houdini-like entry/exit (coons, here, have been shot off the roof of coop - as they busied themselves tearing the shingles from the plywood - failed to find another way in), coons usually leave a `mark', are dog-proof foot traps. They are cheap and, charged with a mix of bacon grease and peanut butter, irresistible.

 

[Scott H]

I would put your birds in a portable kennel or something in the coop so they are completely safe and watch how he gets in before dispatching him. Then you can fix your coop so it doesn't happen again. Happy hunting.

 

[BunkyB]

Yikes. Sorry about your unfortunate deaths. It definitely sounds like mink or martin or weasel to me as well. Although they are noted for eating heads as well. If there are more than one dead at one time and no evidence of holes dug, wires broken in the coop. All a weasel needs anywhere is 2 inches of space and it is game on for the weasel family. They will if given the chance kill all the birds and eat one. I have had this happen on several occasions and have suffered big losses just in one night.
If you see and holes in the ground around the cage at all and about the size of a tennis ball or even smaller them buggers can burrow anywhere. If you are handy a stream, river,lake,etc. it is possible these critters. They are hard to catch. I use 2 methods personally. I use a live trap with a chicken corpse inside or I will add a small cage on the end of the live trap with a live chicken in it. The weasel,mink or whatever cannot gain access to the bird to harm it but once inside the live trap you got em. My other method is a little cruel but it works as well. I have a free range flock but I built a wooden box or an upsidedown apple crate and drill in two small openings, enough that the animal can get in and no chickens can gain access to inside the box. I put a dish of car antifreeze inside and the sweet smell and taste intices the weasel where it will drink it. It will poison the weasel eventually. I also have 2 barn cats (roger and Mouser), big boys as well. They are my protectors for the birds. They hate mink and rats. They keep me vermin free now and I can rest easier...
Hope some of us can be helpful. It really sucks when you lose your pets like that and can't control the outcome. Best of luck. Steve(BunkyB)

 

[littleoak]

A given predator may not have read the rules we expect them to play by when doing their business. Raccoon most likely to do as you describe. Look for components of coop that might forced open and then close again after animal passes. Raccoons are very good at forcing through openings they create.

This was a correct call on the predator. Now that you know it is a coon don't rest easy when you remove this one. I have had more than one coon at a time attack chickens. Get live traps and stay watchful.

 

[BunkyB]

Yikes. Sorry about your unfortunate deaths. It definitely sounds like mink or martin or weasel to me as well. Although they are noted for eating heads as well. If there are more than one dead at one time and no evidence of holes dug, wires broken in the coop. All a weasel needs anywhere is 2 inches of space and it is game on for the weasel family. They will if given the chance kill all the birds and eat one. I have had this happen on several occasions and have suffered big losses just in one night.
If you see and holes in the ground around the cage at all and about the size of a tennis ball or even smaller them buggers can burrow anywhere. If you are handy a stream, river,lake,etc. it is possible these critters. They are hard to catch. I use 2 methods personally. I use a live trap with a chicken corpse inside or I will add a small cage on the end of the live trap with a live chicken in it. The weasel,mink or whatever cannot gain access to the bird to harm it but once inside the live trap you got em. My other method is a little cruel but it works as well. I have a free range flock but I built a wooden box or an upsidedown apple crate and drill in two small openings, enough that the animal can get in and no chickens can gain access to inside the box. I put a dish of car antifreeze inside and the sweet smell and taste intices the weasel where it will drink it. It will poison the weasel eventually. I also have 2 barn cats (roger and Mouser), big boys as well. They are my protectors for the birds. They hate mink and rats. They keep me vermin free now and I can rest easier...
Hope some of us can be helpful. It really sucks when you lose your pets like that and can't control the outcome. Best of luck. Steve(BunkyB)

OH before I go, check for little dark brown or black poops around the coop. About 1/2 inch long like oversized rice. That will be rats. They hate each other so if a mink is around then there will be NO rats around. Mink poops are bigger and are kinda torpedo shaped.