What killed my pheasant?

[Cmcgrath]

I thought my pen was secure, yet I found the headless body of my female pheasant in the pen. No sign of entry was found. There are two layers of chicken wire and hardware cloth around the bottom of the pen 2' up from the ground. Any ideas???

 

[SilverBirds]

Terribly sorry for you loss. Can you post pictures of your setup? Does your pen have a covering on top? Do you have any other birds in the same enclosure? If you do, inspect the others for injuries. If you still have the body, can you post pictures? Owls, cats, and raccoons are known to eat the head. Also telling us where in the world you are located will help determine the killer.

 

[sourland]

sorry for the loss. What type of top do you have to the pen. I had a situation where a Great Horned Owl would get the birds flying during the night and grab them through the top wire of my pen and behead them. I replaced all tops with smaller mesh wire.

 

[MGG]

I thought my pen was secure, yet I found the headless body of my female pheasant in the pen. No sign of entry was found. There are two layers of chicken wire and hardware cloth around the bottom of the pen 2' up from the ground. Any ideas???

Welcome to BYC!
I'm sorry about your pheasant. Do you have weasels where you live? I'm guessing it was either a weasel or raccoon. Weasels can fit through extremely small spaces.

 

[Cmcgrath]

Terribly sorry for you loss. Can you post pictures of your setup? Does your pen have a covering on top? Do you have any other birds in the same enclosure? If you do, inspect the others for injuries. If you still have the body, can you post pictures? Owls, cats, and raccoons are known to eat the head. Also telling us where in the world you are located will help determine the killer.

 

[Cmcgrath]

Cage has 1" chicken wire on sides and roof. Hardware cloth reinforced around bottom of Cage. Wire down 10" into dirt. Location is near Hood River, OR(,predator paradise).

 

[ColtHandorf]

Where do the birds roost in the pen? How close to the wire are they?