what killed my hens

hughjohn

Came back from walking dogs and went to feed hens
1 was in corner of run , few loose feathers around but no visible damage, dead but warm.
2 was about 6 feet back from wire in another corner , more feathers about and a big hole in her back (fist sized) also dead but warm.
3 was scratching away in a third corner totally unfazed by the surrounding carnage and ate the food I gave her

Any ideas of guilty party? No damage to wire anywhere.
Could it be an attack from above (no roof on pen)
Why only one partly eaten?

whelan1

how high is the fence ?

dlofnep

How high was the pen?

dlofnep

whelan1 wrote: »

how high is the fence ?

Great minds think alike

whelan1

dlofnep wrote: »

How high was the pen?

great minds think alike

dlofnep

whelan1 wrote: »

great minds think alike

Now that is eerie. Are you my long lost twin?

whelan1

dlofnep wrote: »

Great minds think alike

lol

Motley Crue

Could the hole in her back be from a pellet gun of some kind?

Perhaps the vandals were scared by your return, or spotted you coming back to your house?

whelan1

is there cats around ?

Mrmoe

It could be mink or ferrets? Any sightings in your area?

moy83

Sounds like a rat or a mink

mikemac

My guess would be a mink

hughjohn

Fence is only 4 ft high .
Hens have been in there unharmed for 2 1/2 years now.
Have not seen mink or fox this year,
Have a cat but has been here for 11 yrs without killing hens AFAIK.
Out in country so am fairly sure wouldn't ve been kids.

johngalway

If none were removed then I would also figure on a mink. Risky having a 4 foot fence mind. One fox attack and you'll find out why people have higher, or roofed/netted runs

The good news is a mink is very easy to catch. I use a live catch cage. I bait them using John West sardines in sunflower oil, but you could breast a dead one and use that. Wrap the cage in a black bin liner, mink love "caves". Spread some feathers at the entrance, having cleaned up any and all other attack debris.

Seeing as you have a cat around the place I would also place stones/bricks/blocks/cut to size ply or some other solid objects around the cage so puss can't get the bait or set off the trap. I would also source some 2"x 2" weldmesh, just enough to cover the entrance of the cage, this stops puss wedging him/herself into the cage (they will do it).

You might be able to borrow a cage from a local gun club/hunter. Or indeed, someone over in Hunting may be able to help you out if in the same area.

reilig

A pine martin killed ours a few years back - very similar to a mink. Now before anyone has a go at me about killing a protected animal, we caught him in a live trap using strawberry jam on a piece of kitchen paper. He was rehomed in beautiful woodland almost 60 miles from our house.

Traonach

reilig wrote: »

A pine martin killed ours a few years back - very similar to a mink. Now before anyone has a go at me about killing a protected animal, we caught him in a live trap using strawberry jam on a piece of kitchen paper. He was rehomed in beautiful woodland almost 60 miles from our house.

Did the NPWS relocate the pine marten?

Birdnuts

hughjohn wrote: »

.
Hens have been in there unharmed for 2 1/2 years now.
Have not seen mink or fox this year,
.

I wouldn't read too much into that TBH - the brother had his bantams cleaned out the year before last and it was only after catching 2 mink in traps that we discovered what the culprits were. Up to then the bro had no idea that mink were in the area, such is the nature of their secretive and mainly nocturnal habits!!:(

PS: Another suspect would be a feral cat - plenty of them about I'm afraid and a 4 foot fence would be no barrier to them:(

what happen

johngalway wrote: »

If none were removed then I would also figure on a mink. Risky having a 4 foot fence mind. One fox attack and you'll find out why people have higher, or roofed/netted runs

The good news is a mink is very easy to catch. I use a live catch cage. I bait them using John West sardines in sunflower oil, but you could breast a dead one and use that. Wrap the cage in a black bin liner, mink love "caves". Spread some feathers at the entrance, having cleaned up any and all other attack debris.

Seeing as you have a cat around the place I would also place stones/bricks/blocks/cut to size ply or some other solid objects around the cage so puss can't get the bait or set off the trap. I would also source some 2"x 2" weldmesh, just enough to cover the entrance of the cage, this stops puss wedging him/herself into the cage (they will do it).

You might be able to borrow a cage from a local gun club/hunter. Or indeed, someone over in Hunting may be able to help you out if in the same area.

sounds like a mink all right but would a mink not kill all the hens.

johngalway

what happen wrote: »

sounds like a mink all right but would a mink not kill all the hens.

No, not always. Shooting buddy of mine had a mink in his hen shed. Killed one cock and left the twenty or so other fowl alone. Caught him with the cage the next morning.

hughjohn

Thanks everyone for all the helpful replies, didnt think I would get such a response tbh.
Just got back from work now , the one survivor still there.
Have a friend with a mink trap so will see if I can borrow it in the morn and see if I can catch the culprit.
Presumably it is going to come back for the last one sometime.
Must admit I thought a mink would kill everything.
Will post if anything gets caught.

Dusty87

Motley Crue wrote: »

Could the hole in her back be from a pellet gun of some kind?

Perhaps the vandals were scared by your return, or spotted you coming back to your house?

a fist size area! what pellet guns are around your area?

Dusty87

I have had the same injury before with the fist size damage a few years ago, and last week. A few years ago i wasnt sure and put it down to mink. But the very same thing happened this week and it was two dogs! Just keep and eye out. 4ft is nothing for a dog.

hughjohn

Thanks Dusty , you may well be correct I think.
Mink trap has failed to deliver up anything yet.
Neighbours have 2 dogs (rehomed strays) , lets say not the best behaved ( saw 1 of em chasing cattle before).
There is a sparrowhawk nesting 250 metres from hen run but would they go for a hen?

Birdnuts

hughjohn wrote: »

).
There is a sparrowhawk nesting 250 metres from hen run but would they go for a hen?

That would be unlikely as an adult Hen would be at the extreme upper end of typical prey seize and they do not make multiple kills at a time or leave their prey were they caught it - especcially at this time of year when the larger female is tied to the nest leaving the smaller male(only the seize of a thrush) to do most of the hunting.

PS: In any case if your worried about the likes of Grey crows/magpies hasseling your birds or talking eggs you can simply put up some netting on the roof of your chicken pen

washman3

has the hallmarks of a mink, take johngalway advice on the mink trap and let us know how get on. if its a mink he will return.
by the way, i would report those neighbours dogs chasing cattle before they do serious damage.

junospider

I had 22 game pullets killed a few nights ago.I have 3 mink traps set since but whatever did it never came back.It was either a mink or a marten but would it be like them not to come back?

reilig

junospider wrote: »

I had 22 game pullets killed a few nights ago.I have 3 mink traps set since but whatever did it never came back.It was either a mink or a marten but would it be like them not to come back?

It could be a week or 2 weeks before it comes back. But if its a mink or a martin, it will come back when its hungry!!

supersean1999

the mink gets blamed for a lot of what a pine martin does, iv lost 14 hens in the last 18months, seems to be a lot more pine martin around, i think there bigger and more aggressive than a mink, caught one a year or two ago crazy little thing IT was

Oldtree

My neighbour had 20 hens killed in one night, He was shocked by the carnage and no hens were taken as food, just killed for sport. The only way into the shed was discovered to be a small hole so the conclusion was that it was mink. hole blocked and no further problem.

whelan1

Oldtree wrote: »

My neighbour had 20 hens killed in one night, He was shocked by the carnage and no hens were taken as food, just killed for sport. The only way into the shed was discovered to be a small hole so the conclusion was that it was mink. hole blocked and no further problem.

saw a big fox this morning when i was bringing in the cows - he's a bit too close for comfort me thinks:mad:

johngalway

Just a mod type note on Pine Martens. Being protected by law they shouldn't be harmed, and if caught, released unharmed again.

Birdnuts

supersean1999 wrote: »

the mink gets blamed for a lot of what a pine martin does, iv lost 14 hens in the last 18months, seems to be a lot more pine martin around, i think there bigger and more aggressive than a mink, caught one a year or two ago crazy little thing IT was

Not in my experience - Just because you see more of one species then another doesn't mean the the former is more common or more destructive/guilty, mink keep a much lower profile then Pine Martens in terms of their habits etc. to the extent that people might not even be aware of their presence until its too late as I highlighted in an earlier post:(

vanderbadger

Birdnuts wrote: »

Not in my experience - Just because you see more of one species then another doesn't mean the the former is more common or more destructive/guilty, mink keep a much lower profile then Pine Martens in terms of their habits etc. to the extent that people might not even be aware of their presence until its too late as I highlighted in an earlier post:(

i waited for hrs years ago to see a pine martin with a few others up in the burren, thought they were the shyest creature you could have, at the slightest noise they took off..have never seen a mink but from what I have heard they are quiet brazen..
last week i was over at the far end of my own farm, i noticed the dog going mad at the far side of the field..i went over and found her in hopping around and barking at a fox pup.. i had never seen one up close, i recorded it on iphone, anyway this little pup was as bold as brass, he was trying to take on the dog, she didnt know what to make of him, anyway i got hold of the dog and the little pup just stood there looking at us for a minute befoe turing around and walking off to the ditch..not a bit of fear outta him

pakalasa

I came across 3 fox pups a few years back. Managed to catch one of them. Held him up by the back of the neck. Did he do some yelping!!
He was pig fat. The vixen was feeding him well. Often wondered what she would do when she got my smell off him. Would she reject him? Hardly I suppose.

vanderbadger

pakalasa wrote: »

I came across 3 fox pups a few years back. Managed to catch one of them. Held him up by the back of the neck. Did he do some yelping!!
He was pig fat. The vixen was feeding him well. Often wondered what she would do when she got my smell off him. Would she reject him? Hardly I suppose.

ya funny you should say, i thought this little pup was mud fat as well

Joe10000

junospider wrote: »

I had 22 game pullets killed a few nights ago.I have 3 mink traps set since but whatever did it never came back.It was either a mink or a marten but would it be like them not to come back?

Hi, I was just browsing through threads and spotted this one, out of curiosity I googled game pullets and didn't come up with much, what's the story with them ? Are they for laying or eating ?Never heard of them before.

Birdnuts

vanderbadger wrote: »

i waited for hrs years ago to see a pine martin with a few others up in the burren, thought they were the shyest creature you could have, at the slightest noise they took off..have never seen a mink but from what I have heard they are quiet brazen..

Pinemartins are shy allright - I was just pointing out the fact that during the day they are easier to spot given the habitat they occupy compared to the dense waterside vegetation that the smaller mink hang out in. And of course mink are much more brazen at night when they leave cover and potentially check out your farmyard for nibbles!!

djmc

Cat had kittens in hay shed last year passing one day I found a dead mink and cat and kittens gone but they turned up in another calf house.
I concluded the mink bit off more than he could chew when he tried to eat mommy cats kittens and after the cat killed it it moved its young to a safer spot
The dead mink had teeth like a cat
I never even knew the were around the farm

supersean1999

Birdnuts wrote: »

Pinemartins are shy allright - I was just pointing out the fact that during the day they are easier to spot given the habitat they occupy compared to the dense waterside vegetation that the smaller mink hang out in. And of course mink are much more brazen at night when they leave cover and potentially check out your farmyard for nibbles!!

id be suprised if a mink would want to mix it with a marten, id say they wait well clear of them,

pakalasa

If you don't have sheep, no worries at all about foxes being around. They're great for getting rid of the cow's 'cleaning' at calving too. I Just throw it over a nearby gate away from the cattle. It's always gone the next morning. Saves me having to bury it.

deman

Same happened to me 20 years ago. Kept about 130 laying hens. First morning, I discovered about 40-50 hens dead when I went to feed them. Next morning there were another 20 or so dead. They were always closed in at night but I discovered a broken strand of wire in the netting wire covering the window, making the hole just big enough to let a mink through. At the same time my father had young lambs killed in the fields. During a regular patrol around the fields, I found a mink asleep in the warm dead body of a lamb. We set traps and got rid of the problem.

reilig

Birdnuts wrote: »

And of course mink are much more brazen at night when they leave cover and potentially check out your farmyard for nibbles!!

In my experience, the pine martin will do the same. Pine martin also appear to be far more viceous than the mink. When caged, the pine martin will jump at the side of the cage towards you, snarl and show his sharp teeth at you and pull at the cage with his claws whereas the mink will curl up in the corner of the cage.

Locally, several neighbours have had hens killed and have put down a mink cage only to catch a number of pine martin. We have several hundred acres of forestry close to us so I presume that this is their habitat. It also contains a diminishing population of red squirrls. Many people suggest that both the mink and pine martin are the cause. I suppose you can't win either way.

vanderbadger

reilig wrote: »

In my experience, the pine martin will do the same. Pine martin also appear to be far more viceous than the mink. When caged, the pine martin will jump at the side of the cage towards you, snarl and show his sharp teeth at you and pull at the cage with his claws whereas the mink will curl up in the corner of the cage.

Locally, several neighbours have had hens killed and have put down a mink cage only to catch a number of pine martin. We have several hundred acres of forestry close to us so I presume that this is their habitat. It also contains a diminishing population of red squirrls. Many people suggest that both the mink and pine martin are the cause. I suppose you can't win either way.

wouldnt fancy cornering either of those creatures, id say they would take the hand off you

junospider

Beginning to think it may have been a fox.2 of the mink cages I had set were closed and empty this morning.The poults were old english game.

johngalway

junospider wrote: »

Beginning to think it may have been a fox.2 of the mink cages I had set were closed and empty this morning.The poults were old english game.

Could be mice/rats setting the cages off.

In the mean time I would beef up security. Higher fence and netting across the top.

Birdnuts

reilig wrote: »

In my experience, the pine martin will do the same. Pine martin also appear to be far more viceous than the mink. When caged, the pine martin will jump at the side of the cage towards you, snarl and show his sharp teeth at you and pull at the cage with his claws whereas the mink will curl up in the corner of the cage.

Locally, several neighbours have had hens killed and have put down a mink cage only to catch a number of pine martin. We have several hundred acres of forestry close to us so I presume that this is their habitat. It also contains a diminishing population of red squirrls. Many people suggest that both the mink and pine martin are the cause. I suppose you can't win either way.

There is no evidence that our native Pine Martens are a threat to Red Squirrles since both lived side by side for thousands of years before human related pressures caused both populations to crash(Pine Martens have only just recovered to some extent after near extinction by the 60's). The main cause of the demise of Red Squirrels was loss of habitat ie. almost total destruction of native woodlands by the 1800's, plus the introduction of the non-native Grey in 1910 was nearly the final nail in the coffin:(


PS: Indeed there is some recent evidence that Pine Martins are assisting the recovery of the Red by reducing populations of the Grey which is larger and spends more time on the ground and so is more heavily preyed upon by Pine Martins.

johngalway

Birdnuts wrote: »

PS: Indeed there is some recent evidence that Pine Martins are assisting the recovery of the Red by reducing populations of the Grey which is larger and spends more time on the ground and so is more heavily preyed upon by Pine Martins.

Yup.

Damer

Hi all,
a friend had 5 big ducklings and two hens killed, the bodies were piled up neatly in a corner one taken, he left them to see what would happen and the next morning another body gone. would that be typical behavior of a mink?
where's handiest place to get mink trap?

MOSSAD

Numerous cases of poultry wiped out by pine marten in west Clare. Traps have been set and marten caught, or seen asleep amongst the dead fowl next day. They will only attack at night, so a secured shed with I think expanding metal sheeting across the windows will keep them out. Pretty animal but vicious buggers.

whelan1

we had a a breeding pair of marons go missing last week , there was no feathers left or anything , they where very healthy , we are assuming it was something of the 2 legged variety - a human - that robbed them rather than an animal , what do ye think