What Predator is doing this? GRAPHIC PICs of bird plus pen.

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Hi there,
I am having problems with my black australorp chicks. For the past week we have lost one a day with a similar wound. The backside is opened up and the body cavity is completely hollowed out. The internal organs and guts are eaten.

Ok, so I'm going to post pics here but if you are sensitive, don't scroll down all the way. I will put the pic of the bird last.

At first, I thought they were killing one another (cannibalism) because in my last batch of black australorp chicks they were picking on one of the hens and her tail feathers were pulled out and her backside was bloody. I separated her and did not have a problem after that. They were a little bigger though because I kept them in the brooder longer. But this is the same pen that they were in. The last batch of chicks were moved into the coop and now I have a problem with these chicks in the pen. So, here is my pen.

In the 2nd pic you can see the top. It was open and I added this chicken wire, thinking the predator might be getting in through it but even after that, we are still losing a chick a day.
This poor chick was alive when I found her like this so I had to put her down. I'm really scratching my head now at what could be doing this.
I figure if it were a raccoon or skunk, then more would be dead. Or missing. I thought maybe it was a bird because of the small hole. I could imagine a big strong beak hollowing out the bodies and eating the internal organs. But now I have the tops chicken-wired closed. MIL thinks maybe a weasel. I don't know. So, if you have seen this type of wound and have an idea, I'd really like to know whats getting them so I can look over the pen from the predators perspective and maybe keep my chicks safe. For now, I am going to take them inside and brood them longer.

 

[deerman]

One of the other chicks, they will start pecking at the vent.. eating mostly the red blood... make sure they have lots of room,and never run out of water.

If you check the beaks should see which ones have blood on them, maybe more than one. Use bits if they don't stop

 

[BarkerChickens]

I don't what would be doing that. Is there any evidence as to where the predator gets in? A weasel usually takes the head off, so I am guessing not that. If something gets it in the rear, then other chickens will peck at it, so it is hard to tell what is the predator's damage and what the chickens may have done afterwards. Maybe a snake?

 

[rufus]

Get a shot gun, get a lawn chair. Sit and wait. It will show up again when it gets hungry.

Rufus

 

[RedfogsFlock]

Quote:
exactly! or try a trap.

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Quote:
Got those! That was just my plan. Since the chick was still alive early afternoon, I'm guessing this is a morning predator.

They have never run out of food or water and were safe on the night I put them in a rabbit cage, inside the pen but every other day one was killed. I am leaving the body out there with some poison tonight and moved all the chicks out but I will be making rounds with the shotgun, too.

 

[chickensioux]

I say rats.

 

[Zahboo]

Sounds like it's time to set flour around the coop to catch foot prints.

 

[deerman]

still think other chicks, have seen that with ringneck pheasant, they start at the vent end. Predators go after head end first.......are all chicks kill this way?

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Quote:
Yes, they were all this way. This one had the smallest wound. The others were completely hollowed out with no guts left. The others had a hole the size of a quarter right at the vent.
If it is the other chicks, how do I prevent this? They have more room than the last hatch of black australorps because there are less of them this time around. They never ran out of food or water.