What could it be?

[LilyD]

I came outside to do chores this morning to find one of my roosters from the bachelor pen had been taken from the pen. I found the lower half of the rooster up beside the road and it looked like whatever had taken it had been in the process of eating it and gotten scared off or something. I live close to town and have a lot of neighbors that are close by on all sides so I am not in the woods or anything, but I am wondering what would be strong enough to do that. The rooster was about 10 pounds or so live weight.

 

[questions543]

I would guess fox... Mink only eat the head (and thats a pretty big bird) and raccoons normally bite the back of the neck

 

[LilyD]

Okay we have seen fox around but not recently so it definitely could be that. We had moved to a different pen that we hadn't used in a bit and he got taken from that new pen. Since then I have put them back inside the pen that's inside my dogs fenced in yard. They will be much safer in there but we will be patrolling to find the culprit so it doesn't get comfortable here.

 

[questions543]

okay sounds good. Remember... Once a predator has killed it will always remember so be extra careful espeicially in bad weather where natural is scarce (dont know what your weathers like right now).

Hope all ends well

 

[marianne7]

Okay we have seen fox around but not recently so it definitely could be that. We had moved to a different pen that we hadn't used in a bit and he got taken from that new pen. Since then I have put them back inside the pen that's inside my dogs fenced in yard. They will be much safer in there but we will be patrolling to find the culprit so it doesn't get comfortable here.

It probably would be a fox, you are fortunate it did'nt come back and take more of your birds, foxes don't usually stop at one bird,

unless they are disturbed, they will come back and take several.....keep your eye on your birds...they don't give up...