|
PREDATOR
DIAGNOSIS
|
|
Predator
|
Signs/Characteristics
|
| Bobcat |
Said
to be minor problem with chickens on the West Coast. Usually
attack ranged turkeys. |
| Cat
(domestic) |
Usually
only 1 or 2 baby poultry devoured (usually by tomcats) with
evidence of wings and legs left only. Will kill nightly. Trap
near entries. |
| Coyote |
Usually
seen by handlers as they are not very shrewd in their attempts
to gain entry into a poultry house. Fairly easy trapping. |
| Dog |
Maimed,
missing birds, wires and doors torn down. Will kill and maim
many or just one. Usually takes bird home but may hide and eat,
usually whole bird. |
| Fisher |
Said
to be a problem on the East Coast only. Will store extra food,
returning later to eat it. |
| Fox |
Will
remove whole birds, day and night (usually night). Will travel
1/2 mile or more with the kill. Poultry legs found at fox den
entries. Will not usually enter a poultry house-prefers ranged
birds. Difficult to see and trap. |
| Hawk |
Bothers
ranged poultry. Hunts during the day. Swoops down and takes
whole bird. Depending on how adept the hawk is, you might not
hear birds squawk when attacked. Does not usually bother large
turkeys or grown geese. |
| Mink |
Usually
remove smaller poultry only. Discharges an acrid musk that can
be smelled hours later. |
| Owl |
Great
Horned Owl mainly. Usually takes head off only on grown guineas
and ducks, very small poultry taken whole at night, but will
hunt in daylight. Enters through 1 foot square openings in building.
Will attempt flying through panes of glass upon spotting poultry.
Will take roosting guineas from trees. Headless poultry carcass
found in the area. Does not usually bother grown turkeys or
adult geese, but will attack offspring in a flock of geese. |
| Opossum |
Eats
insides out on premises, likes eggs, picks away at bones. Mostly
scavenges at night, occasionally daytime. |
| Raccoon |
Takes
small birds whole, adult guineas, grown ducks, large turkeys
and geese-eaten where killed, eats breast only, usually takes
head off too, but not always. Adept at squeezing through openings
and using paws to remover birds from cages if cage door is flexible.
Will come back nightly or every other night (even if freed from
trapping). Loves eggs. Bits of coarse fur may be found attached
to entry. Strong animals, need good traps-four spring-type jump
traps set near entry. |
| Rats |
Contusions
and bites on legs, baby poultry dragged into rat tunnels usually
with part of body (such as head and neck) down in tunnel, eaten
around bone. Look for tunnels going under building walls and
rat droppings near feed pans. Will sometimes eat with birds.
Will travel from building to building only to feed. Eats eggs
as quick as they're laid. Pulls and eats feathers off roosting
birds, for protein. |
| Skunk |
Eats
insides out on premises, likes eggs, garbage, dead carcasses
attract. Will take a broody's eggs out from under her. Sometimes
faint skunk odor noticed around building, but not usually. Easy
to trap. |
| Turtles |
Usually
attack waterfowl in open waters. Large ducks occasionally attacked
showing contusions. Love ducklings and goslings most. First
sign may only be missing waterfowl, or adult geese fighting
them from offspring in the water. |
| Weasel |
Bites
on neck found, will attack only a few or a lot, bluish coloration
of skin about head and under wings. Sometimes run in family
packs. Occasionally a faint skunk odor may be evident. Weasels
will enter a one-inch opening. Hard to trap. |
| Wolf |
Usually
birds the size of chickens are considered too small a game for
them. |
