PLEASE HELP ME! Face being eaten? Beaks gone???? Help! GRAPHIC PICS!!!

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Good for you! I understand the time and money constraints, it's a tough job sometimes.

I do want to once again reiterate, for those who are not reading the entire thread, that the OP is doing what she can when and how she can. All the affected chickens have been culled and she has begun the coop strengthening process. Next comes late night coop visits and trapping.

 

[chickensioux]

I am so sorry for the loss of your birds. Good luck with the rest.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I just finished reading this entire thread and I have to say how awful it must have been to find your birds like that. I hope the others will be safe and you find out what did such a horrible thing.

 

[chawk]

I've seen them get into crazy places. They can also hang by the tail, leaving front paws free to do the work. horrible creatures..I agree with hardware cloth. I put it on my coop and was actually easier to make super secure than chicken wire. DH is predator wary..

Quote:
Definately it. The only logical explanation besides human intervention. Something is getting them when they poke their beaks through.

 

[flgardengirl]

You can screw on or just use U nails to put on the hardware cloth either to the inside or outside of your coop. Then frame around the edges with some boards and this will prevent anything from pulling up/pushing in the hardware cloth or nails. Here is a pic of how we generally frame our windows after putting on the hardware cloth (this is a coop in progress- the roof isn't on yet in the pic lol)

 

[hispoptart]

Wow your poor babies! I sure hope you find out fast what is doing this to them.

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
It's a long thread, but even skimming would help let you know that the birds have already been culled. The owner is very responsible and attentive.

Thank you because I was very close to not being so pleasant about that comment. Of course the birds were put down good grief.


OP I sure hope you catch the predator...My vote is for Possum or coon. I am so sorry you are going through this.

 

[TammyP]

So sorry for your terrorizing experience and loss

Ever thought of a snake being the culprit? It could have slithered up your cattle fence to the 2X4 and across to the window and started to slither into the coop, grab a hold of a chick by its face and try to slither backwards out the wire window.....but got stopped when the chick wouldn't pass thru with it and then dropped it back down.....the enzymes that digest the prey it is seeking could have gotten all over their little faces and started the acid like process of digestion? perhaps the snake isn't a very large one and thus it doesn't swallow the chick whole? The dark areas on it's little face look like blood when it's dried up some.

I found a 4 ft fox snake in my coop last week.....first time for that and hopefully the last. It didn't bother my chickens none but now I know why I haven't seen any mice around lately.... my little spanish banty alerted me to the intruder ....

Could be a possibility.. you got snakes around your neck of the woods?

~Tammy

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
Snakes are everywhere - some areas just more so than others, but looking at her yard, I'm sure she gets her fair share of slithery visitors, wether she sees them or not

Quote:
I own snakes, not to seem rude (which really I am not

- though I'm told on the subject of snakes, I sound condescending, which I really don't mean to be!!! ) I own snakes, and am an avid reptile enthusiast. Snakes (any snake) have strong stomach acid (like that of a raptor bird) inside the stomach only. your colubrids (non venomous - north american snakes) do not carry any special acidic enzyme in the saliva or mouth that deteriorates flesh - so it couldn't be a colubrid like a ratsnake, cornsnake, fox snake, gopher snake, etc etc etc (we have a LONG LONG list of colubrids in the US) - anyway, most venomous snakes are ambush predators, and if they DO pick a victim, they strike fast with the venom, and then go about their way and wait for their prey to die, then go and try to eat it. Venomous "front fanged" snakes do not constrict their prey or actively go searching it out, unless starving and its easy. (most venomous snakes are heavy bodied, and are lazy ambush predators ) The exception tends to be the rear fanged venomous snakes - coral and hognose snakes which have to chew to inject venom not just strike like a rattler or a copperhead)...rear fanged - will pull the victims alive, while injecting venom and start swallowing alive.

With this said these injuries definately couldn't be inflicted by a snake.

I am convinced the predator culprit is a possum.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Quote:
Sweetie, if I lived closer, I would send my DH over there with all his power tools and hook you up good!!!