Strange Tracks in Pen *Logical Conclusion on Page 46*

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Last time was the first week in March. That was the last time it wasn't raining and storming. We are now finally into a dry spell, so wondering if the tracks will show up again.

i am still putting the cam out every night, with fresh batteries, and a clean SD card. i only got a couple pictures on the cam this morning. They were pretty scary . . . i'm sure you can see why. Flower print with checks? That's most likely what scared Fluffy away.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/1800_me2.jpg

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looks like my jammies!
 
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It looks to me kind of like porcupine tracks!! The tail sweeps the ground as they walk leaving little wavy lines, this sometimes messes up the footprints. If the ground is firm enough you can see the strangely textured footpad and the nails don't show up very clearly.
I was original thinking you had a "Lion Ant", which are good little buggers to have around, but 3" x 6" is just too big for one of them. I will come out in my yard some mornings and find little divots in the ground with squiggle marks leading to each hole. Those are Lion Ant dens and he is somewhere waiting for the ant to fall in.

I don't think it is a snake, just doesn't look quite right. The other pic posted by Zazouse are tracks of a very big snake.....I've seen many snake tracks, even tracked them down to kill them (mom and dad live in snake country, SE corner of UT and killed approx 18+ rattle snakes their first year living there) and it would take a pretty good size snake to make those tracks
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EEK!

But I'm not sure how a porcupine, or a raccoon or possum would get in your pen?? Is there any way for these guys to get in there? It could be your rat.... digging around every so often looking for the scrap pieces of what the chickens missed and the squiggle is his/her tail. Your Fluffy is just cleaning up for ya
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Nope, darn it. My cam took 88 pictures last night, of nothing but the wind moving the grass. i know Fluffy was in there as rocks were moved about and another hole made to under the playhouse.

mtngrl812 - i haven't seen any large dig holes to under the pen, so don't think a raccoon, possum, or other larger animal could get in. You are probably right that it is Fluffy. That's what a lot of folks have suggested along the line. There are some pictures the cam catches of it where she's moving so fast you just see a streak of light from the eye. The tail swishing might be the explanation for the marks.

secuono - If this is a crazy joke, it's on me, too. i've spent almost $200 on game cams, another $20 on new SD cards, $30 on a havahart humane rat trap, and about a million dollars on batteries. If all this is because of one rat . . . i feel pretty stupid.
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Enchanted: What do you think about putting the game camera outside the coop where the sideways snake marks were? That might bring some closure to this fascinating story! When was the last time you saw the tracks?
 

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