What killed our chickens?

[04fox8 168]

Just returned home today from a night out yesterday, only to find a mass of feathers in the chickens run.......and a few less chickens!

One went missing a few weeks ago, and only this week has the carcas been found in a shed at the farm next door (only about 50 feet away)

I had a look about in the run, and discovered x2 bodies, both of which have been eaten from the rear end, and the cockeral has had his neck stripped and stretched by a few inches!

 

What was it?

 

Weasel / Mink??

 

Any ideas?

 

Kids NOT happy about it, telling me I need to shoot the fox that took their chickens, but despite suspecting a fox initially, (after learning the 1st victim had been dragged away) I am now not so sure.

 

Cheers.

[courseadog 231]

Cat ,possible did u think about that ,set a trap for the mink the ass end being eaten is strang mink would probably eat heads of first

[04fox8 168]

Didn'tthink a cat would get the better of them. Seen cats having a sniff about at hens in the past, but the hens haven't been scared to hold their own. Saw a post on here somewhere in the past, (but typical, I can't find it Today) which gave a run down on what damage / evidence different predators leave behind! The hens don't help themselves, despite my best efforts at building them a nice wee house, they persist(ed) to stay up a tree in their run!

 

Not practical to sit and wait for whatever is responsible with the gun, so was hoping to narrow the options down before I set any traps.

 

What would a buzzard do to the carcasse? Saw one of them around here the other day, and we also have a lot of small hawk types in our area. If it was one of them, I'll have to get a net up over the run. Can't see them being responsible, as the bodies were 'hidden' behind the big tree in the run.

 

Luckily they weren't any pure breeds, but the girl's don't appreciate that!

[courseadog 231]

Buzzard would strip flesh and the bones would b left in tacked its possible depending on size of your Chickens gona have to keep a watch mate that's the only way ,what ever it is it will b back atb

[cornishtrapper 3]

i would think that it maybe a badger, mink would of taken one at a time and eaten them from the head down and so would a fox. and a fox would have probably killed the lot,

[paulus 26]

if it was a bird of prey the feathers would be intact as they would have been plucked a mammal will break them when biteing and chewing, have a look and see

[forest of dean redneck 11,189]

Farm got a dog?

[04fox8 168]

No, no dogs around the farm.

Another 3 chickens gone since yesterday tho, NO trace of them atall!

 

Begining to think maybe it was a cat, ????

[foxtails 272]

stoat or wiesel maybe or somthing with a late young,,

Edited August 27, 2012 by foxtails

[forest of dean redneck 11,189]

No, no dogs around the farm.

Another 3 chickens gone since yesterday tho, NO trace of them atall!

 

Begining to think maybe it was a cat, ????

Get some sand round see if you can. Get some tracks,may help identify culprit .

[Plank 8]

 

 

What was it?

 

Weasel / Mink??

 

Any ideas?

 

 

Cheers.

 

Here's my tu'pennworth

Middle English ferret (or furet) comes from Middle French furet, earlier fuiret, an alteration of fuiron, which ultimately goes

back to Latin for 'little thief'. As in little [poultry] thief.

[ulverston moocher 60]

Highly unlikely that it was a ferret mate as a ferret goes into a frenzy when around poltry and would do the lot not one or two at a time and they tend to hang around so I think it would of been spotted by now and a ferret would also start eating the head.

[04fox8 168]

Following some further 'Quincy' work, I have noticed the necks have been broken cleanly, and 3 or 4 puncture wounds around the break, about 3/4" apart.

Running low on live ones now, How about I hang up a dead one with soft brushed earth around below it, in an attempt to see some foot prints?

Depending what it was, is it likely to return to a dead one??

[wilbur foxhound 480]

a farmer along the road from me has this every year and every year i trap a mink and it stops, the tree where you found some death were there any holes in the bottom,is there any burns or rivers near to you try and find where its comming from ie there will be a line of feathers in the direction where its taking them,if its a fox the heads would have been clean of,you could also pluck a dead one and look for teeth marks on the body round about the rib cage area and see how far apart they are if theres any atb wf

[paulus 26]

sounds very much like mink