something got in my pen two nights in a row

[Franzen Farms]

wednesday night something got in my pen and killed 4 quail 2of them eaten all the way. last night about 10pm I checked my pen and seen nothing but by 7am we had 3 more that had been eaten.

the kicker is we don't see any holes big enough for a quail to get out, so what can be getting in to eat them? traps will be out tonight fore sure.

 

[mhwc56]

i lost a Coturnix to a opossum through 1 inch chicken wire....i changed it to 1/2 " hardware cloth
it's terrible. i know how annoying/sad it is to loose birds to predators.

 

[ranit]

Raccoons are also good at reaching in a pen, pulling the bird over to the wire and eating the whole thing through the wire.

 

[Stellar]

I am sorry to hear about the predators

I had an oppossum problem and switching the hardware cloth size helped also added electric fencing so the beasts don't like coming anymore

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
VERY GOOD AT IT... AS ARE HAWKS DURING THE DAY AND JUST THIS YEAR I HAD YOUNG OWLS DOING THE SAME THING AT NIGHT (THIS WAS A 1ST FOR ME) HOUSE CATS WILL DO THE SAME THING, AS WILL OPOSSUMS, MINK, WEASELS, AND THE LIST GOES ON...

I RECOMMEND 1/2 INCH HARDWARE CLOTH= TOTAL WRAP, ALL SURFACES. IF THEY ARE UP OFF THE GROUND WRAP THE LEGS OF THE PEN TO THE GROUND OR THE COONS WILL GET THEM FROM THE BOTTOM AS WELL, THEY WILL ACTUALLY REACH A CLAW OR 2 THRU THE WIRE AND HOOK A BIRDS TOE THEN RIP THE WHOLE LEG OFF AND DOWN THRU THE WIRE. TRAPS ARE NICE BUT SECURITY IS BETTER. BOTH ARE AWSOME

 

[chickenwhisperer]

JJ its funny you should mention hawks . . .
I need to start taking my camera with me first thing in the morning . . .

A young hawk has taken up residency in my neighborhood, I see him all the time, including once in a tree above my valley quails in their pen.
It flies high overhead, circling my property at least 3x a day, screaming that high-pitched shriek.

This morning the chukar were extra loud at just after daybreak and wouldnt shut up, which they usually do after about 10 mins.
So I get up and let the dogs out, who immediately start barking at the gate.
I throw on some slippers, rub my eyes, and go out in my skivvies to see the hawk clamped to the side of my chukar cages, at this point it was probably there for around 20 mins judging from the sounds of the chukar.
The cage is 9ft long x 2ft deep/high, and split into 3 sections, 1" x 2" rabbit wire on sides/top, 1/2" hw-cloth for bottom, the hawk couldnt get anything.

It was small and young, probably this springs young, and very beautiful, borderline majestic.
I could see its eyes, its feet, every feather on it . . .

Anyways, the arrogant sob waited till I was about 5ft from it before it took off.
Then it spent the next 1/2hr circling overhead and screaming.


Food-for-thought:
I have kevlar forearm wraps and gloves from when I worked at my uncles glass shop. I also have a pair of heavy welders gloves that go up to my elbow. I have always kinda wanted a pet hawk.
Falconry is for the noble . . .

 

[Franzen Farms]

No luck with traps last night but on the positive side no deaths either. I agree with you guys on a smaller wire on the bottom of the pen, thats what I have on there out door 50'x50' pen. but we bring the quail in the barn pen at night where the bottom 4' of the 20'x20' pen is solid plywood, so he had to come in from the top somehow but we don't see any holes. I will let you guys know what it is once I trap it.

 

[mhwc56]

happy hunting!

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
LOL ITS ALSO A FEDERALLY CONTROLLED/ LICENCED THING TOO....

 

[tuesdays chicks]

could it be a rat? or snake were there feathers left? do rats eat birds?