One pullet missing without a trace, rooster killed and buried?

[TalkALittle]

Wait, so let me get this clear. The only casualty was the rooster and he was buried but his carcass only had wounds, nothing was eaten?

This seems strange to me. Why would an animal cache its only kill without eating it? If it had cached the first and gone back to try for a second, why would it not return to eat the first if it had not been successful taking a second?

 

[pennyJo1960]

That is the puzzle what made it leave the kill we think the bobcat was the killer then

 

[drumstick diva]

Our suburb is mainly surrounded by Forest Preserves so predators of all sorts are often seen in daylight as well as dusk. The learn quickly that garbage cans are easy to turn over. That people leave out food for their dog or cat.

We have seen a fox for several years- know it's him due to an odd colored wide patch of hair on his side. I think it came in funny after an injury. But, makes it easy to ID him. Once years ago I saw him with another - most likely his mate but, never saw babies.

We had an old shed that just rusted away and collapsed. It was surrounded by lots of brush. Yet we could spot him jumping the fence and going to that part of the yard often.
At some point he abandoned that den and moved elsewhere. Then skunks and opposums took over.

The fox still hangs around the area. Once I was walking between houses(ours & the next door neighbors) and came face to face with the fox. He turned and jumped the fence and then jumped another fence to land in the yard behind ours. He was mighty lucky their big Staffordshire Terrier was not outside at the time.

 

[Eggscoozme]

So something attacked our little flock that was free ranging today, sometime around 10am I think (full daylight for at least 2 hours). One of our hens just disappeared without a trace. She was maybe 4-5 lbs at most. I haven't found a single feather that belonged to her. Our rooster, who was a very large golden laced wyandotte (8+lbs), was also attacked. He apparently fought back. The yard was littered with his feathers in 3 places, all very close to our house (like 3-10 ft away). There were some down type feathers from either his belly or rump, and some neck feathers. I followed a trail of feathers into the woods that surround our house and found him, deceased, about 20ft into the woods, buried under a pile of leaves. He had puncture and bite wounds around his neck and chest. I am assuming it was a pair of animals that attacked them, but obviously I don't know this for sure. We are in central virginia with lots of woods around us, so I guess any predator is fair game. Anyone know of a predator that would leave one carcass buried while taking the other one away without a trace? It had not been eaten at all, just killed, and it was totally covered. Very strange. I can't say I'm happy to know that the predator was literally at my back door. The remaining girls are, unfortunately, confined to their electrified, fenced in pasture from now on. I hate it, because they love free ranging, but today has convinced me that they need more protection.

We live towards the East, also, and through past-year day-time losses, have learned that it was foxes. It always happened in late March and in April. The foxes are looking for food for their kits. One prior March/April, I was literally drinking coffee at the kitchen table @ 9:15am when I looked up and saw a HUGE red fox creeping up on my free-ranging flock of chickens. After that, I had been keeping the flock cooped up until LATE Spring, if I wasnt able to keep a close eye on them. Problem solved. I haven't done that this year---I think my Tom and Roo keep predators at bay: however, I've not had coyotes come around. Maybe the neighbors big dogs keep them away, I don't know.

 

[mike1970]

yeah I agree seems odd unless it got spooked. What did the puncture wounds look like

 

[lazy gardener]

My first thought is fox. The multiple piles of feathers on the way to the cache site lead me to think that . (If I read original post correctly.) Buried animal makes me think it might be a bob cat. Predator was either disturbed, or well fed and simply stocking the larder for later.

 

[MINDANAO DAVE]

My bet would be coyote A Bob Cat would not stop to hide it. A coyote would and come back for it maybe even with her little one's. Coyotes are clever animals. Whatever it was will be back. Pen the chickens up.