poults attacked???

[gibbo1973 187]

please can anyone enlighten me on to what may be killing our poults ?

the heads are off and guts ripped out its really gone to town on them

and there still in the pens

 

any pointers please the lads have not seen anything

[Ideation 8,216]

Bird of prey???

[Lab 10,979]

How long have they been in the pens? I'm thinking an owl............

[paulus 26]

if it was a BOP the ends of the feathers will be intact as it will have ben plucked, if its a fox they will be chewed, stoat will leave puncture wounds on the back of the neck,

[Mustard. 83]

My money,is on a pinemartin.

[hunter1995 92]

rats look for holes or it could of been a pine martin if your in a woodland up north but am thinking rat myself they dont really have a method to eating like birds of prey do or stoats

[gibbo1973 187]

they have been in since last tues ,ive not seen the carcasses yet just what the lads said who s checking them daily @teatime only

as he is @ college ,

one was pulled through the fox grid?

it well could be a owl as theres a few down there( tawnys mainly)

thanks for the replies

[MOO 730]

How the hell can any one tell who the culprit is with desciption ...put a pic up gibbo and someone will be able to tell you what done it

[hunter1995 92]

if its getting pulled through the fox grid then wont be an owl mate BOP will eat at intervals so its a ground predator that can fit through grid so your have four main species 1.weasal 2.stoat 3.rat 4. small/young pine martin! that leaves you with couple options if its a pine martin deterants or if its other 3 fenn trap with grid on the box also to find out what it is use a camera like stealth one put it where the carcess is being pulled through when the suspect walks by bang got picture evdince and take your method of control from there!!

[Millet 4,497]

I'm sure a bird of prey would be carrying them away at this time of the year as they will be feeding young and they don't usualy eat the head's first..my money would be on a mink or stoat..

[Born Hunter 17,622]

It's about the only thing that hasn't been suggested but I'm going with mink. Get some traps down.

 

Though I've never experienced a mink hit pen. Just going on the facts presented.

[hunter1995 92]

birds of prey cant carry things away if they eat to much or weigh to much cant not take off like you seen with vultures in africa after they savage they hop around and it could be a mink if there is a water way near by but main thing would be rats,staots or weasal going but what has been said also BOP wouldnt pull cacress through the grids

[Lab 10,979]

if its getting pulled through the fox grid then wont be an owl mate BOP will eat at intervals so its a ground predator that can fit through grid so your have four main species 1.weasal 2.stoat 3.rat 4. small/young pine martin! that leaves you with couple options if its a pine martin deterants or if its other 3 fenn trap with grid on the box also to find out what it is use a camera like stealth one put it where the carcess is being pulled through when the suspect walks by bang got picture evdince and take your method of control from there!!

Its hard to tell but now that he has said that the lad looking after them is there once a day then it could be lots of things. If he is 100% sure that a cub has not got in then i'm still sticking with owl.....its a trademark style for them to whip the heads off. The one pulled through the fox grid could be anything like a stoat, weasel, mink, ferret......to hard to tell really. I dont think its a rat by any means, these are 7/8 week old poults i'd imagine...a rat wouldn't bother them.

[Millet 4,497]

I fly a bird of prey and i know fine well he could carry a young poult into a tree..and as for them eating too much a wild bird of prey only eat's enough to keep itself going they do not pig them self's like a falconry bird that is cut down in weight..also a wild BOP will have it's priority on feeding chick's in the nest and not itself..

[paulus 26]

if its getting pulled through the fox grid then wont be an owl mate BOP will eat at intervals so its a ground predator that can fit through grid so your have four main species 1.weasal 2.stoat 3.rat 4. small/young pine martin! that leaves you with couple options if its a pine martin deterants or if its other 3 fenn trap with grid on the box also to find out what it is use a camera like stealth one put it where the carcess is being pulled through when the suspect walks by bang got picture evdince and take your method of control from there!!

Its hard to tell but now that he has said that the lad looking after them is there once a day then it could be lots of things. If he is 100% sure that a cub has not got in then i'm still sticking with owl.....its a trademark style for them to whip the heads off. The one pulled through the fox grid could be anything like a stoat, weasel, mink, ferret......to hard to tell really. I dont think its a rat by any means, these are 7/8 week old poults i'd imagine...a rat wouldn't bother them.

very true tawneys have a reputation for taking the heads off poults, a good look at the bodies is the only sure way to tell really