What type of predator can stretch a bird's cage? NEED HELP!

[HenJo]

It's amazing how smart animals can be. I lost my favorite hen monday night. I left her outside in her cage but I put her in a medium sized bird's cage where I usually put her at nights. I discovered her dead

and seems like the animal got her through the bottom of the cage and drag her foot under and ate her whole leg breast. Sorry it's hard to type, it's unbelievable how the animal killed her. Okay the bottom of the medium sized bird's cage is 1 inch all around. It took some pretty good force to stretch it out at least 2 inches.

 

[heyeddah]

Sounds like a raccoon. I do not know where you live. The raccoons pull the chickens through the wire. Hardware cloth is the best defense. The small squares make it hard for them to get their hands through. They are really strong.
Sorry you lost your pet

 

[HenJo]

So they are to stretch the outside wire of a bird's cage with there hand and grab hold of the chicken.
The racoon did not take my hen but it chewed her whole leg . I could see a biiig whole of where the leg should of been. Do you think it was a quick death? painless?

 

[heyeddah]

Yeah, quick and painless. We lost four baby chicks that way this summer. One survived and she follows us everywhere. It is sad because the raccoon leaves behind a waste. It is almost a sport. You have to realize that it is just the food chain, and you can outsmart a raccoon. Read all about predators here and ask alot of questions. You will make your next cage safer.

 

[jvls1942]

coon, they can bend some pretty heavy guage wire..

I have seen some wire bent that I had a hard time straightening with a pair of pliers..

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Dont be too quick to blame the ol coon.
Ferral house cats kill more round these parts than most wild critters do.
With their claws, they reach in and grab them while they sleep, and ... and they can tear up wire pens. But there's really no telling, what did it.
I sure hate to hear of your loss reguardless of the culprit!
Aubrey

 

[KrisRose]

How awful

. It does sound like a coon. Nasty spawn of the devil. Always reinforce every cage with hardwarecloth.
Sorry about the loss of your pet.

 

[HenJo]

Thanks.
I even saw a bloody print of the raccoon near the cage. I was thinking that a person could have done it. Raccoons are really smart I guess.
I never thought an animal could have have done that.

 

[deerman]

Raccoon, had them eat the legs off of quail thru 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Some even lived with just one leg. They were my white bobwhites. Set a trap under the pen,caught the coon the next night.

So place wire around the legs of the hutch pens.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

well if you found the print, then there you go!
Get the hounds and let's track 'em down!
So sorry...
The hardware cloth does help, but if possible, use the good ol electric fence!. I have it around ALL of our poultry, or none of our 200+ birds would be here tomorrow in this swamp we love in!
If possible for you, It works great and is just enough to deter critters.
I put in about 6 inches off the ground and again preferably at 12 inches. Run a small wire these first 12 inches , i.e. the hardware cloth, to prevent the birds from sticking their heads out to eat grass or what not and getting buzzes themselves.
I lost 50 + very nice silkies in a grow out pen in just 1 night due to a fox 2 years ago, since then, HOT WIRE EVERYWHERE!!!!

Aubrey