[massa]

hi, i am wanting to know if anyone can help me to identify a Killer we have,  i  keep chickens and turkeys on my allotment as do a few people, about two weeks ago one of my neighbours had a chicken killed, it had two deep pucture wounds on its back which i guess from the canine teeth of the killer and its head was removed but no blood at all, two nights later the same happened, she then decided to keep them locked in longer at night and had no problems so thought she would try leaving the pop hole open again last night only to find the killer struck again this time killing two chickens is the same way and one of her young turkeys but didnt remove the head of the turkey. I think we can rule out fox as the run is pretty fox proof, it is 6foot high builders fence sunk into the ground all around and netted over the top, there is no gaps in the fence no borrows under it and the net is not ripped or torn. The killer does not seem to go into the coops but the dead birds are always is the same area of the run. A bird of prety would not be able to get through the net either. From research i did i thought maybe mink or simular but we live in the middle of sheffield and i didnt think there would be mink around here so thought maybe ferret? wild or escaped pet? let me know if you have any ideas, otherwise i think a steak out tonight may be in order!! thanks Massa

[joyfull]

For a better idea you need to measure the puncture wounds to see how wide apart they are.
There are canals in the Sheffield area so mink is a good possibility.
Never leave the coop open overnight - the predator is just waiting for you to do this  

[massa]

we dont live anywhere near the canals or any streams or rivers, i dont leave mine open joyful, this has happened to a neighbour but its not from the coops being open as the ones it has taken are not from in the coop i think it must be early morning when they are starting to come out!

[Thrift]

Stoats can do a lot of damage and are small enough to get through builders' fencing.

[Mickle]

Hello Massa
With just two puncture wounds across the back it sounds like the killer is heavy enough to pin it down before taking the head, and first guess would be Fox but if the pen is fox and hawk (Buzzard) proof then you would say Mink, although there are usually more than a pair of puncture wounds when they hit.

If the puncture wounds are either side of the back I would still be inclined to say Fox,
The gape of the jaws needed to get across a Mature chickens back is beyond a Stoat or Mink capabilities.

A span of a couple of nights between visits also sound like Fox.
Without seeing the set-up and the victims that's the best I can offer, but don't rule out CAT either, their claw puncture wounds can be difficult to spot.

[hen-night]

Hi Massa, I live in chesterfield not far from you really,and theirs mink on the canal near us.
Vicious little * they are as well.

[massa]

thanks for all your replies, i have been round to see her after work and had a good look around her run and have found a few places where i recon my lab could fit through so think her so called fox proof run is not fox proof! i have looked at the bite marks on the dead turkey and im no expert but would think it is a fox there is no way a mink or ferret could have bitten it as their mouths are not big enough to have done the bite. It has also had a bite at her young male turkey so i have brought him home with me to look after i have given him some poultry tonic in his water and put him to bed in my brooder shed and hopefully he will recover.

[ferret1988]

thanks for all your replies, i have been round to see her after work and had a good look around her run and have found a few places where i recon my lab could fit through so think her so called fox proof run is not fox proof! i have looked at the bite marks on the dead turkey and im no expert but wouldthink it could be a ferret or mink as i have heard off simialer think it is a fox there is no way a mink or ferret could have bitten it as their mouths are not big enough to have done the bite. It has also had a bite at her young male turkey so i have brought him home with me to look after i have given him some poultry tonic in his water and put him to bed in my brooder shed and hopefully he will recover.

A fox will usually bite the bird near the top of the neck and will generally only take one bird and bury the rest in a shallow hole to return for it later i personlly think it could be a ferret or mink as i have heard off similar cases where both have been found in the hen house and pigeon loft.

[Mickle]

Having dealt with numerous Foxes and their kills the bite usually across the back and the head is a tasty snack, and they nearly always visit on alternate nights.

[nerdle]

Until I saw that strawberry I thought this was black labs only...

[Tony H]

Hi i would go for mink on what you have said foxes usualy kill everythink in sight and do more than just bite  i live right next to a cannal and have seen them, my mate who lives 2 miles away also has seen them so they dont always live by water  But you did say a big gap  could it be a dog attack ?

[Ian Findlay]

Hi Massa

It could be a badger (see my post "What Killed my Chickens).  All advice, and my own thinking, was that it was a mink that had killed my bantams.  However, on hearing noises at 2.30 this morning, when I went out to check, I caught sight of a badger disappearing over the garden wall.  The birds were killed cleanly, one had it's head sheared off and the other was eaten from the backside in leaving no innards but the carcass untouched.

Hope this helps!