- Oct 8, 2010
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So my one hens disappeared one day about two weeks ago now. I looked all over for her body or any traces to be found and came up with nothing. Then about four days later, we find her full wing, with feathers with the bone still attached,where it would have been connected to the chest cavity. Then about two days after that (about 6 days after she disappeared) we found a foot, and the chest cavity bones not far from where the wing was found. Both parts were close in proximity. I should note too I smelled a skunk-like smell around the coop around the time she disappeared. I free range my chickens. Her body parts were found about 30 yards away from the coop. My chickens have lots of space to graze, so this isn't the farthest they can venture. The landscape where the parts were found is on my lawn, not field or woods, though fields and woods are nearby.
Obviously its not a hawk. The bones were licked clean and also crushed and broken, so its something with teeth that had been chewing. I just haven't seen anything like this before and I don't know what type of critter I'm dealing with here. I"d like to protect the rest of my flock. I'm in south central PA. (Usa) I'm wondering if I'm dealing with a mink ? But that is just a guess.
Does anyone know what I could be dealing with here and how to get rid of it? Whatever it is, I'm assuming its lair is in my lawn and very near to where the body parts were found. (I haven't found any sort of hole in the ground yet ) I find it really strange that it only ate some of the bird- why eat one foot and throw out the other? Mostly though, the parts don't amount to much. She was a smaller sized hen- closer to bantam sized. We feed stray cats around here (We have them trapped and fixed too) so do you think it could have been a cat? The only odd thing about that is that the chest cavity that I found which was mostly just bones was not chewed on. I thought that cats typically eat as much bones as they can? It looked licked clean. Plus we already feed them well. I didn't think the'd want to try for something as big as a chicken. They have never lunged or went for my chickens before in all my 8 years of having my flock.
I'd appreciate it so much if someone could share some knowledge! And if its some sort of small animal, can I trap it and put it somewhere else far far away from here ?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Obviously its not a hawk. The bones were licked clean and also crushed and broken, so its something with teeth that had been chewing. I just haven't seen anything like this before and I don't know what type of critter I'm dealing with here. I"d like to protect the rest of my flock. I'm in south central PA. (Usa) I'm wondering if I'm dealing with a mink ? But that is just a guess.
Does anyone know what I could be dealing with here and how to get rid of it? Whatever it is, I'm assuming its lair is in my lawn and very near to where the body parts were found. (I haven't found any sort of hole in the ground yet ) I find it really strange that it only ate some of the bird- why eat one foot and throw out the other? Mostly though, the parts don't amount to much. She was a smaller sized hen- closer to bantam sized. We feed stray cats around here (We have them trapped and fixed too) so do you think it could have been a cat? The only odd thing about that is that the chest cavity that I found which was mostly just bones was not chewed on. I thought that cats typically eat as much bones as they can? It looked licked clean. Plus we already feed them well. I didn't think the'd want to try for something as big as a chicken. They have never lunged or went for my chickens before in all my 8 years of having my flock.
I'd appreciate it so much if someone could share some knowledge! And if its some sort of small animal, can I trap it and put it somewhere else far far away from here ?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
