Luvmypets Journal: A New Season

[luvmypets]

I was going to update on the broiler chicks because they had been growing very well and I was excited because they were almost ready. Kinda glad I didnt because yesterday, mid-afternoon, all of them except one was killed along with their mother and two layers. The worst part is only one was taken..the rest were just dead, killed for sport. I lost my special silkie mama Cirra, and when I saw her I started bawling. Normally when a chicken dies I feel bad but I move on. But with Cirra she is just so special. She had three of her own hatches and mothered any babies given to her. If she heard any sort of baby cheeping she would rush over and fluff up her feathers even if it wasnt her chick. When I saw her a few feet away from two of her babies I knew she had fought to protect her chicks to her last breath.

Characteristics of the kill dont match up with anything ive read so im not sure
-one chick missing
-six birds dead
-small bite marks
-small amount of blood
-besides one hen, no evidence of struggle
- claw marks under back gate.
-cause of death is hard to tell

All websites point to weasal but the claw marks seem big, like house cat sized. My best guess is a fox as our neighbors lost all of their chickens to one and even saw it during the day carrying a hen in its mouth.

Here are pictures of two places that were dug in, and the ground is really dry so this thing was desperate.

 

[LocoYokel]

So sorry to hear about your chickens. It is always hard to lose a critter but so many... darn predators.

I was just catching up on your journal. Your photography is amazing! You could easily turn that talent into a career. I just love this one.

Here is my favorite picture from the shoot, little stella smiling as simon yells "wait up"

 

[Bruce]

That is awful!!!
Where did you find the dead birds? Spread out on the ground or on the roost?
Where were the bite marks?
Were the bodies mangled?

I'm still thinking weasel. As I understand it, a fox will kill and eat, probably cart it off to do so. A coon will eat the head and neck leaving the body (check my next post in my journal). A weasel will bite their necks at night when they are asleep and drink the blood. Won't touch anything else.

I know weasels can dig but if the claw marks look too big for a weasel MAYBE it had some assistance from a fox that tried to dig under and gave up, leaving a hole big enough for the weasel?

 

[luvmypets]

They were spread all over the run @Bruce

 

[Bruce]

hmmmmm

 

[luvmypets]

hmmmmm

Oh meant to say bite marks were barely visible, they were small. The bite marks that I could find were on the back of the legs and by the breast area

 

[Bruce]

hmmmmm again! Not a fox, they don't have small teeth and they don't nibble legs and breasts, they go for the neck. Do you think the bites were enough to kill them or maybe they died of fright when they were attacked? MAYBE a cat? It would likely have had to take advantage of the dug out area under the gate rather than digging under itself though. I don't think a cat would go to that much trouble.

You might find the one that you think was taken off in the bushes or something. Ran and hid I HOPE or maybe ran and still died of shock

 

[norseofcourse]

I"m so sorry, what a terrible loss

 

[CntryBoy777]

That's so sad and hard to hear. This is the time of year that the previous year's babies are sent out on their own to find their own territory.....so, it could be a juvenile predator, too. A weasel is not a chaser, but an ambusher. If there are bobcat there, it could be a yound one. The marks around the legs could be the swipes of the claws to throw the prey off balance and stumble, then pouncing on the neck with their teeth....this could explain the marks on the breast as being missed attempts. Tho usually they will concentrate on a single animal and carry it off, so it is really difficult to say for sure. It does sound much more like a fox to me, but the tooth size makes that questionable, too. One thing is for sure, it will return until it is stopped, or the food source runs out.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

So sorry for your loss