Quail all found slaughtered!?

[bridgetamelia98]

This morning I went out to check on my button quail and all but 1 were dead, they are housed with a chicken and a rooster and a larger coturnix quail and have never had any problems until this morning where there was a pile of them in their little wooden house on the bottom floor I don’t know if a rat got in or what but I found it weird that all of them had their necks ripped open and they were all in the shelter, has anyone had a similar experience?

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry for your loss, it does sound like rodents.

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss. Do you have a camera you can put up? Most likely a rat. The only way to know for sure is to get a picture. I had a problem with an owl killing some birds which was confirmed after I put a camera up. Good luck...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ad-neck-and-chest-eaten.1497294/post-25002292

 

[bridgetamelia98]

I'm sorry for your loss, it does sound like rodents.

Only thing is I don’t know how they got in as the gaps in the wire are really small and the coop itself Is screwed into a sheet of ply wood :/

 

[ColtHandorf]

Sounds like rodents. They can dig into the run and can fit through amazingly small spaces.

 

[Kiki]

Can you get clear pictures of the gaps in your wire cage?
How long have you been housing chickens and the two different types of quail together in the same space?

 

[bridgetamelia98]

The original chicken was a rescue and she’s grown up with them from when they were all chicks (5 months ago). What we think is to be a cockerel has been in there for about a month now and has shown no signs of aggression towards the quails here is a picture of the button quails next to the wire

 

[bridgetamelia98]

The original chicken was a rescue and she’s grown up with them from when they were all chicks (5 months ago). What we think is to be a cockerel has been in there for about a month now and has shown no signs of aggression towards the quails here is a picture of the button quails next to the wire

I can only fit the tip of my little finger through the gaps

 

[Kiki]

I can only fit the tip of my little finger through the gaps

I believe you are correct.
It was an inside the cage job.
I highly recommend removing the chickens from the quails cage and keep them separate.

 

[Hiram Means]

When my coturnix quail all got slaughtered and piled on top of each other it turned out to be a weasel. The necks were ripped as well.