what predator did this to my Muscovy drake ? (warning: graphic pic)

[Goatherd]

Sorry about your drake. For what it's worth, I'll share my theory/experience. I have found that when a raccoon kills fowl, they take it away with them and eat it somewhere else.

I lost several chickens a few years back and I couldn't understand as they were in the barn at night that was closed and what I thought, relatively safe.
For several days, I would go in to find a dead carcass with only the entrails or guts eaten. After the third bird was killed I set a box trap in the barn and caught an opossum. I thought I was done but lost another bird the next night. This bird also was disemboweled as the others.

Set the trap again and another opossum was caught. I guess since they are basically nocturnal, they slept during the day and I didn't see them. I continued setting the trap, but never caught another nor did I lose any more chickens.

What was odd about each killing was that only the intestines were eaten and none of the meat was touched. I guess they find that more desirable than the flesh.

Based upon the photo that you posted, my guess would be an opossum and not a raccoon.

 

[greybeard]

Opps. Sorry, I missed the sig--well didn't 'miss' it, I rarely read them anymore--I just always look over at the left under the avatar where it usually says "From:"

I'll start reading every sig from now on tho before I start typing..

 

[eweinHiscare]

Ok, just saw the "south of Raleigh" part... so we have the same critters
It is so worth a $30 trap from TSC... put an egg in the trap and you'll catch it if it's a coon or possum.
Both of these critters will come back once they've found a food source. Both climb fences or squeeze through them. A couple years ago we had a coon dropping in for lunch, from 1-3 pm everyday.It would quick grab and drag to the woods, eat its innards and leave. After a week of daily losses we set a trap, it was a coon. This year more possums. We are quick with the trap now. "Re-using" the old carcass doesn't work well, eggs are great. Generally a fox will grab and take the kill back to it's den. Coons and possum are more opportunistic, I think it's probably one of these.

This year my black indian runner was on 15 eggs in the woods, a coon got 11 eggs and she really fought to save those eggs, we came out early morning to see her out in the field pacing back and forth, clearly injured. The varmint had ripped her whole chest open. We had to put her out of her misery... Our cochin bantam sat on those 4 eggs til they hatched and raised them up. Sadly, that was the night I pulled the dogs from the field thinking they might hurt her, they are very funny about a bird they haven't seen, considering she had been on the nest for two weeks I thought they wouldn't "know" she was part of the flock. Sometimes you can't win.

Hope you catch the little bugger!

ok, I will try baiting a box cage (hav-a-heart style) with an egg...I guess you mean an intact egg and not a broken one right ?

I'm leaning towards thinking it was a possum... but I may not "have a heart" when I do catch it!!!
(haha)
I'm not feeding it more eggs and making a pet out of it ! : (

 

[Southern by choice]

The live traps are safe and yes a whole egg, not cracked, put the trap close to the area of the attack site.
It is the law in NC that you may not re-locate a coon/fox, not sure about a possum though. Honestly we are having a real rabies issue in NC coons,skunks,fox.coyotes too are huge vectors. They are kinda cute in that lil' cage, BUT put a stick up to the cage (don't poke the thing - that's just mean :/ ) and watch it bare its teeth and get aggressive. Not cute after that! Can you believe it was less than 20 years ago and there was NO rabies here in NC.... hope you get it, fall is here and the predators will be increasing. Do you have dogs?

 

[Alice Acres]

Live trap is a great idea.
I sent my husband a text to get his opinion - he's a lifelong poultry expert, and also a huge hunter/trapper outdoorsman.
Agree also about the racoons - they will haul it off. We used to have lots of them, and he has a blue tick coonhound that he hunts with and has taken that population down a bit. They are BAD if you have poultry
Around here (MN) I know a possum would do that - also the other similar predators - fishers, weasels, etc.

 

[Alice Acres]

And his opinion was weasel or mink.

Sorry about your Muscovy. My husband grew up with them, and they are tough birds, usually.

 

[eweinHiscare]

Live trap is a great idea.
I sent my husband a text to get his opinion - he's a lifelong poultry expert, and also a huge hunter/trapper outdoorsman.
Agree also about the racoons - they will haul it off. We used to have lots of them, and he has a blue tick coonhound that he hunts with and has taken that population down a bit. They are BAD if you have poultry
Around here (MN) I know a possum would do that - also the other similar predators - fishers, weasels, etc.

oh my friends....it got WORSE last night....

I am so sad to report that now I have lost my 2 Muscovy HENS!!!! Only one drake is left alone.



It was still dark and I did not see the Muscovy girls in the geese yard...only the drake.
I had 4 geese in the maximum security pen under the deck but the ducks were in medium security (obviously NO security at all...) daytime geese yard.

Did not see the bodies, will look for them when I get home this afternoon.

I think it is foxes! (theres no weasel, fishers,mink around here that I've ever heard of).
Because they had to jump over the 4 foot fence to get into the geese yard.
They took both the hens last night, so it is more than one predator coming...

I hate them..!!!

I do have a dog who might keep a predator away if he wasn't busy moping and whining at the door all night to be let back in...
he is 30 lb Spitz mix...but it might come to that.

I am going to get some can cat food and try putting that in the trap...along with an egg.

This weekend I will have to be building fence ceiling over the geese yard. Basically one gigantic cage!
: (

 

[Goatherd]

Sorry to hear that. Yes, if the bodies are gone, you have more than one culprit. Once they get a taste for the "free meal," they come regularly until you eliminate them.

When I first started trapping I relocated the animals, which is illegal I know, but I didn't want to shoot them. After it became a regular thing, I found the fortitude to shoot them as I knew I couldn't keep taking them away. The worst was when the opossum was a trapping females with babies in their pouch. Eliminating her eliminated about a dozen future killers. It still bothers me, but if it's a choice of my fowl or a predator, the fowl is always going to win.

I do hope you can get a handle on this soon.

 

[Alice Acres]

oh no

I hope you get whatever is killing your birds!

 

[eweinHiscare]

happy update!

I found my two Muscovy hens alive!

They had apparently gone into their duck house without the drake and stayed in there so I didn't see them.
I have hotwire around their pen now, and so far no more losses.

There is a video on youtube of a fox getting zapped by hot wire while trying to get into someone's chicken coop.

But I'm still working on making it even more secure.
I also use deer netting at ground level and snakes get caught in that when they try to push their way through.

thanks for caring!