What pulled my Chick out of the growout pen. Warnining: graphic.

[winterwolf4]

I had a chick that was 5 to 6 weeks old pulled up against the growout pen wall that is chicken wire and wedged into a corner. It's spine had been severed at the neck by something that attacked it. One leg was chewed off & its face chewed on too. It was too graphic to take a photo of. The chicken wire was bent at the sides and it looks like something tried to get in.

The other birds have blood on their combs. Like something attacked them.

Was it a racoon or something else?

 

[Chickeroonie keeper]

Do you have martins around the area you live? The chewing kind of makes me think Martin.

 

[nuthatched]

Sounds like a raccoon... sorry for your loss

 

[winterwolf4]

I woke up to let the chickens out and two more of my chicks are dead. I am really mad. The creature ate the head off of my favorite pullet. So I put the remaining chick, an olive egger rooster in the big coop with the door shut. The bielefelder pullets and some other pullets are in there with him so he is not alone.

 

[winterwolf4]

Now I get to bury them... I am sad and angry at the same time.

 

[winterwolf4]

I had a chick that was 5 to 6 weeks old pulled up against the growout pen wall that is chicken wire and wedged into a corner. It's spine had been severed at the neck by something that attacked it. One leg was chewed off & its face chewed on too. It was too graphic to take a photo of. The chicken wire was bent at the sides and it looks like something tried to get in.

The other birds have blood on their combs. Like something attacked them.

Was it a racoon or something else?

I looked at the date again on when they hatched and it looks like the chicks are 6.5 to 7 wks old.

 

[fuzzi]

Now I get to bury them... I am sad and angry at the same time.

I'm very sorry.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I'm so sorry. That sounds awful.

If nothing else, can you rebuild the grow out pen with hardware cloth to make it a little bit stronger for next time?

 

[Chickeroonie keeper]

Could be raccoon? They sometimes only eat the heads and can reach through chicken wire

 

[nuthatched]

I'm so sorry. That sounds awful.

If nothing else, can you rebuild the grow out pen with hardware cloth to make it a little bit stronger for next time?

X2 chicken wire is barely predator proof. It needs to be layered if used.
So sorry