Squirrel killed and ate my quail!?

[Yucca quail]

I didn’t know this was possible?? I suspected they were stealing my eggs. There were some days I wouldn’t get any eggs from my birds and I would find a squirrel burrow. Today they killed my quail. Not only did they kill it but they ate its head. I’m 100% sure it was a squirrel. I have exterior cameras that caught it. WHAT THE HECK. I have been having issues with the squirrels getting in and getting to my garden and composter. I have a very large area for my quail and muscovy. It’s about 1,400 square foot area I have fenced off. We have no predators except birds of prey. I never thought I would have to worry about squirrels! Has anyone ever had this happen...???

 

[pozees2]

I am so sorry Do you have a way to exclude the squirrel? We have one that visits us periodically and is a problem because it eats bird feed, but I have never had one take eggs or birds. I don't have quail, only chickens, so obviously size makes a difference, but I still would not have thought a squirrel would kill a bird, but google says they are omnivores, so I guess they will if it's easy?

 

[Yucca quail]

I am so sorry Do you have a way to exclude the squirrel? We have one that visits us periodically and is a problem because it eats bird feed, but I have never had one take eggs or birds. I don't have quail, only chickens, so obviously size makes a difference, but I still would not have thought a squirrel would kill a bird, but google says they are omnivores, so I guess they will if it's easy?

I am going to have to figure out a solution. I think I’m gonna buy chicken wire and line the area. I have been intending to do it but I wasn’t too worried about the eggs and it adds up $$$! I couldn’t believe they killed the quail until I watched the footage. Super upset because it was my favorite female. I asked a couple people if squirrels were a problem for quail and they told me no.

 

[pozees2]

I am going to have to figure out a solution. I think I’m gonna buy chicken wire and line the area. I have been intending to do it but I wasn’t too worried about the eggs and it adds up $$$! I couldn’t believe they killed the quail until I watched the footage. Super upset because it was my favorite female. I asked a couple people if squirrels were a problem for quail and they told me no.

I think it's pretty unusual, but maybe others have used hardware cloth which will exclude squirrels so they actually didn't have problems with them? Just guessing. Chicken wire may not do the trick, squirrels can get really skinny when they want to get through something. We had one this year that kept running up the shepherd's hook to get bird feed, and the only way we got it to leave was to scare it over and over every time it came to the feeder. Took several days but it finally departed.

 

[Kale the Quail]

i've never had problems with squirrels. so sorry about your hen

 

[maadroj]

Wow! I'm so sorry. How upsetting. Was the hen trying to defend the eggs that the squirrel was eating?

There is a squirrel that is constantly trying to get into our aviary. It has chewed up many of the zip ties we used to hold the hardware cloth down. I thought it was trying to get to the food, or for some reason enjoyed the plastic. I just looked it up and see that squirrels do eat eggs, baby birds, and kill adult bird and even rats if they are desperate. https://squirrelenthusiast.com/do-squirrels-eat-birds/

 

[Yucca quail]

i've never had problems with squirrels. so sorry about your hen

I guess that what I get for trying to let them “free range”

Wow! I'm so sorry. How upsetting. Was the hen trying to defend the eggs that the squirrel was eating?

There is a squirrel that is constantly trying to get into our aviary. It has chewed up many of the zip ties we used to hold the hardware cloth down. I thought it was trying to get to the food, or for some reason enjoyed the plastic. I just looked it up and see that squirrels do eat eggs, baby birds, and kill adult bird and even rats if they are desperate. https://squirrelenthusiast.com/do-squirrels-eat-birds/

I don’t think so. My quail hens just drop eggs and walk away the quail was hiding and the squirrel just attacked randomly. I had no idea squirrels ate anything but plant products before this. I was told they were herbivores oops. Should have looked into it more

 

[Kristina2021]

I didn’t know this was possible?? I suspected they were stealing my eggs. There were some days I wouldn’t get any eggs from my birds and I would find a squirrel burrow. Today they killed my quail. Not only did they kill it but they ate its head. I’m 100% sure it was a squirrel. I have exterior cameras that caught it. WHAT THE HECK. I have been having issues with the squirrels getting in and getting to my garden and composter. I have a very large area for my quail and muscovy. It’s about 1,400 square foot area I have fenced off. We have no predators except birds of prey. I never thought I would have to worry about squirrels! Has anyone ever had this happen...???

unfortunatele 24 of june this year when i went to feed my quails I found only some feathers<, no blood. So i cant tell who eat whole my quails. I put roof from wire and latching gate. I saw opened gate and roof on one house of quails then another house was closed but under cage a hole. So who did it??
i saw fox around and eagle and quarrels but not ground quarrels...
Who can took them all? i had 9 of them

 

[Kristina2021]

I didn’t know this was possible?? I suspected they were stealing my eggs. There were some days I wouldn’t get any eggs from my birds and I would find a squirrel burrow. Today they killed my quail. Not only did they kill it but they ate its head. I’m 100% sure it was a squirrel. I have exterior cameras that caught it. WHAT THE HECK. I have been having issues with the squirrels getting in and getting to my garden and composter. I have a very large area for my quail and muscovy. It’s about 1,400 square foot area I have fenced off. We have no predators except birds of prey. I never thought I would have to worry about squirrels! Has anyone ever had this happen...???

unfortunatele 24 of june this year when i went to feed my quails I found only some feathers<, no blood. So i cant tell who eat whole my quails. I put roof from wire and latching gate. I saw opened gate and roof on one house of quails then another house was closed but under cage a hole. So who did it??
i saw fox around and eagle and quarrels but not ground quarrels...
Who can took them all? i had 9 of them

 

[Gilbert652]

I have read at many places that squirrel eat birds but didn't know that they ate quail or chicken . They can eat dead animals or birds easily without hesitation.