Poultry Predator Identification

[OnlyOrps]

Very informative!

 

[hsrryw73002]

Both of my 6 week old turkeys were found dead within a week. 1 or 2 deep puncture marks on side of the breast. Skin removed in a small patch but not much more damage than that. Both were found near the edges of the fence. Could it have been a hawk that was interrupted?

 

[karenerwin]

Ok, we were out later than I thought we would be on June 1st and came home to find 1 meat chicken (cornish cross) gone & another dead. The dead bird was intact but had a bloody back & some deep gashes/slashes about a half to three-fourths of an inch long. The bird was still warm, so I guess I must have interrupted what ever was attacking we I came home & went to lock up the chickens. The next morning I saw that we had a skunk caught in a trap. It could have been there the night before because it was dark out & I don't think I shined my flashlight over that way. I killed the skunk.

This morning, June 4th,when I went out to let my flocks out I saw that something had gotten ahold of 1 of my EE. I am guessing raccoon because what ever it was had grabbed her through the field fence while she was getting a drink. Her head & internal organs were gone as well as much of her that it could get to through the fence. She was also missing a leg and had one wing stuck out through the fence. We have seen possums, raccoons, skunks, & hawks in our yard before. I don't think it was a hawk because there was not a pile of feathers. The coop/run that she was in was inside another fenced enclose.

Any ideas?

 

[dekel18042]

Ok, we were out later than I thought we would be on June 1st and came home to find 1 meat chicken (cornish cross) gone & another dead. The dead bird was intact but had a bloody back & some deep gashes/slashes about a half to three-fourths of an inch long. The bird was still warm, so I guess I must have interrupted what ever was attacking we I came home & went to lock up the chickens. The next morning I saw that we had a skunk caught in a trap. It could have been there the night before because it was dark out & I don't think I shined my flashlight over that way. I killed the skunk.

This morning, June 4th,when I went out to let my flocks out I saw that something had gotten ahold of 1 of my EE. I am guessing raccoon because what ever it was had grabbed her through the field fence while she was getting a drink. Her head & internal organs were gone as well as much of her that it could get to through the fence. She was also missing a leg and had one wing stuck out through the fence. We have seen possums, raccoons, skunks, & hawks in our yard before. I don't think it was a hawk because there was not a pile of feathers. The coop/run that she was in was inside another fenced enclose.

Any ideas?

Could be raccoon or I'm thinking you could have two kinds of predators. Through the fence sounds very raccoon like, but carried away could be a fox. I read somewhere under a pound a hawk will carry away. Over two, usually not and between one and two iffy.

 

[kaumlauf]

Great post- thank, you. I am still losing chickens with a 4' electrified 2x4" mesh fence. Pine tree with branches 3' above shed may be the access point of a coon or cat.

 

[dekel18042]

Great post- thank, you. I am still losing chickens with a 4' electrified 2x4" mesh fence. Pine tree with branches 3' above shed may be the access point of a coon or cat.

I'm trying to picture your set up. I can visualize a coon or cat getting in, but how is it getting out? What about a hawk or other bird of prey?

 

[kaumlauf]

We have a half acre fenced in by 2x4" mesh with 4 wires of electric. A shed abutts the fence. Outside the fence some tall pines have branches over the shed, about 3' above the shed. Something comes at night and gets chickens that are roosting in dense brush. Twice the carcasses were gone but wings, head and guts were left. There were bloody feathers on the top fence bar nearby. The third time the chicken was bitten in the thigh, and very bloody, but left there, undisturbed except for the blood on the thigh. I think a mink could be getting in. Could an owl see through dense brush and spot chickens? We live on the edge of a swap in a very rural area.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

We have a half acre fenced in by 2x4" mesh with 4 wires of electric. A shed abutts the fence. Outside the fence some tall pines have branches over the shed, about 3' above the shed. Something comes at night and gets chickens that are roosting in dense brush. Twice the carcasses were gone but wings, head and guts were left. There were bloody feathers on the top fence bar nearby. The third time the chicken was bitten in the thigh, and very bloody, but left there, undisturbed except for the blood on the thigh. I think a mink could be getting in. Could an owl see through dense brush and spot chickens? We live on the edge of a swap in a very rural area.

You have an owl taking your chickens. Owls have eyes to die for and ears to match their eyes. Not only can an owl see them but so can hawks. A mink can surely slip between the stay wires (the vertical wires) on your fence.

I am unsure about the breed of chicken you keep but I would be surprised if they were not roosting in the "tall pine trees" where an owl would find them "easy picking."

 

[dekel18042]

We have a half acre fenced in by 2x4" mesh with 4 wires of electric. A shed abutts the fence. Outside the fence some tall pines have branches over the shed, about 3' above the shed. Something comes at night and gets chickens that are roosting in dense brush. Twice the carcasses were gone but wings, head and guts were left. There were bloody feathers on the top fence bar nearby. The third time the chicken was bitten in the thigh, and very bloody, but left there, undisturbed except for the blood on the thigh. I think a mink could be getting in. Could an owl see through dense brush and spot chickens? We live on the edge of a swap in a very rural area.

hmmmmmm, you need a webcam. Wonder if you have more than one type of predator? Minks are in the weasel family. I know they will kill chickens, but do they eat them or just suck the blood?
I had a relative lose rabbits to weasels who got into the pens through minute holes and the rabbits were dead with little or no damage to the bodies.
I'm not sure if an owl needs to see his prey moving before he can get it or if he can attack a still target.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Quote: No wild animal kills for sport, only domestic ones with half-missing instincts. This is wrong so how can I know the rest is correct?

Mustelids kill as many animals as they can. Then they drag their prey one by one back to their burrows.








This is what makes them such good hunting partners, and why humans use ferrets and mink to hunt with. They are natural retrievers, as they don't feel safe eating in the open and like to have a good amount of food stored at home.