What mangled my quail? *CAUTION* Graphic pics!!

[denasfarm]

Something killed and ate my male quail last night. Below are the gory pics.
I had the one pair of quail inside a wood (3 sides and top)and wire (Front and bottom)cage (about 4ft off the ground) that was inside a fenced and covered chicken pen. The wire is intact. The only entry point would be about a 1/8 inch or less crack between the top of the wood door and the wood cage.
The chickens couldnt have done it. Surely the female quail didnt do it!?!? Rats? Weasel?

The quail was plucked and completely gutted, debrained, eyes missing, skull has chew marks.
Any ideas what I am trying to catch? about two months ago the same thing happened to one of my broody silkie hens.
We were thinking a cat when it happened to the Silkie but a cat could not have gotten in without ripping open the wire.
NO way No how could it be anything big but what was it? A baby something maybe?

WARNING GRAPHIC PICS BELOW

 

[patnjess]

ah poor baby, coon. I know coons did some things that looked like that to ours.

 

[chickensioux]

Could be any of the smaller predators. Coon, rat, weasel. Weasels can fit into the tiniest spaces. So sorry for your loss.

 

[shay20]

oh my god, its like a organ stealer.

poor baby, so sorry.

 

[cowman910]

That looks like a swarm of rats came in and ate her alive! Hope you catch whatever it was.....

 

[FireTigeris]

My pet rats crack bones, especially leg bones they wouldn't have left the legs like that unless they where really full- which I guess is possible, my fatso male domestics can get throgh any hole you can pass a quarter through flat side (the round part through a hole, female norwegian rats are smaller roof rats smaller still- female roof rats (Rattus Rattus) can pass through a hole smaller then a nickle can get through. ---

If there's any way to set a alive trap out with the remains you'll know what kind of deterrent to use I'm having good luck with bobcat urine vs rodents.

 

[denasfarm]

Quote:
How the heck does one collect BOBCAT Urine?? I have set trap after trap and only seem to catch my Polish birds. I hadnt thought about using the remains as bait. GOOD thinking! I will reset the trap tonight and see if I get something. The trap I have is for Large Coons/Possum/Cats so a Rat might just slip through the wire.

We do have rats of all sizes because of the gardens, over grown creek and horse barns around us. No matter how clean I keep mine my neighbors wont help by cleaing up theirs.

Ive just got to figure this out and stop it. One of my Marans had her leg srcatched and chewed up but it didnt kill her since she was so big.
She was afraid to go back in the barn for a month and slept in the dogs house.

I figured someone here would recognize the carnage.

 

[HLAC]

Plucking and picking the meat off the bones and particularly eating the brains is the work of a bird of prey. Perhaps a small owl was able to get into the coop?

 

[denasfarm]

Quote:
I just dont see how it could be a bird. He was in a cage inside an enclosed pen. The only bird near him was his mate and I just dont see her doing that. She is so sad, keeps calling and calling for him.

 

[katharinad]

Perhaps a mink?