Some weird slinky critter ate my baby

[Tamdog]

First: Please, no suggestions on how to secure my pen. My hen house has only had one breech in 25 years, and a death from when I left the door open one night. BUT: I AM already going to get 1/4 inch hardware cloth and rebuild after last nights instance. My pen is made of 2 inch by 3 inch thick mesh galvanized wire. -no rust- very well made, and as I have said it has been sufficient for many years. Here is my question. Last night something came in. It DID NOT breech in any way. Nothing was chewed, nothing was dug, nothing was broken. The predator had to have "slinked" in through the 2x3 inch fence- It ate the head and guts out of only one baby that is 4 weeks old. The baby was fillet open. I have been keeping the mother and two babies in a small plywood box nest that is inside the secure night coop. The mother and sister were not harmed. None of the grown hens or Rooster on the roost were harmed. What type of animal can come and go and leave no trace? Nothing in my enclosure was touched. 25 year of chickens this is a FIRST. for me.

 

[neo71665]

Knowing your location could help narrow down the options.

 

[chickenlittle21]

Maybe a ferret or a rat. Sorry for your loss

 

[Kiki]

A lot of critters can fit in a 2x3 inch fence.
I am sorry.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Weasel or rat.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Weasel, rat, mink.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Similiar thing happened to me last night. Something reached THROUGH the 1/2 inch HWC of my brooder floor and killed 3 keets, left 7 alive. No visible breach. The walls are 1/4 inch HWC, and the bodies were pulled halfway through the floor. Must have reached its tiny hands through from below, while standing on a storage tote.. Limbs and heads and guts gone. My best guess is a rat or a weasel. I added tiles to the floor of my brooder, and tripled the depth of the wood chips in there. Moved everything from underneath. Also set a couple different size traps near the brooder baited with tuna.
It was such a blood bath, I am afraid to go to sleep tonight. I thought 1/2 in HWC was super secure. Wasn't enough to keep my babies safe. Oddly there was a batch of 14 chicks in the same brooder but separated by a divider. They were untouched.

 

[Tamdog]

Knowing your location could help narrow down the options.

North Carolina the Piedmont- not beach- not mountians.

 

[bobbi-j]

My guess would be weasel or rat.

 

[Tamdog]

Similiar thing happened to me last night. Something reached THROUGH the 1/2 inch HWC of my brooder floor and killed 3 keets, left 7 alive. No visible breach. The walls are 1/4 inch HWC, and the bodies were pulled halfway through the floor. Must have reached its tiny hands through from below, while standing on a storage tote.. Limbs and heads and guts gone. My best guess is a rat or a weasel. I added tiles to the floor of my brooder, and tripled the depth of the wood chips in there. Moved everything from underneath. Also set a couple different size traps near the brooder baited with tuna.
It was such a blood bath, I am afraid to go to sleep tonight. I thought 1/2 in HWC was super secure. Wasn't enough to keep my babies safe. Oddly there was a batch of 14 chicks in the same brooder but separated by a divider. They were untouched.

OH ME. I am so sorry, that sounds very hard and sad. It sounds like you did everything you could do - before and now after the attack. I too, am worried about what I will find in the morning.