Forensic of prey animal demise

[uncle buck]

Enjoyed the article on the PGC site... Explained in detail how you could tell what predator killed the prey animal..
Um.....Coyotes if I remember this right... Eat the entrails and the buttocks... By the way I don't know if that study is still on there anymore.. They the PGC changed all kinds of thing on their now updated web site...Many things are now gone and it appears to be streamlined down a bit...

However as the carcass lays there every predator and varmint for miles converges on the now let say dead deer...So I suppose if you find a fresh kill it should have the ID of a coyote kill as mentioned above.. later every critter from miles around is a feasting on the prey animal...

Just say you were good in forensic of eaten prey...Why you could find a few chickens with their head eaten off and determine if they were killed by a fox or what ever? Read once that fox like to chew the heads off of chickens? have this trapping book written by a well known trapper that highlights all the profiles of killers and how they probably can be ID to the kill...

Funny....many land owners when they lose their entire flock of chickens blame the fox.... I know Reynard takes the rap!! Reynard Did It!!!!!
However we all know who really is doing it!!!!!!!!!!!Especially when every single chicken is killed...

[Hern]

I know cats (barn cats, ferral cats, house cats) like to eat the heads of prey, at times that's all they eat of the kill.

ub says-
However we all know who really is doing it!!!!!!!!!!!Especially when every single chicken is killed...
I disagree.
How do you know, ub?

When every single chicken is kill in the hen house...it's careful work to determine 'who done it'.
By that, *Mink, Weasel, Cats, Fox, Dog, Coyote and Coon get into a hen house and get on a killing spree.
That predator went for a meal, but it's killing instincts took over when hens had no where to escape and killing was easy.
Yes even a pet Dog. Our son's dog was the guilty party of killing every hen in the coop!
*I have personally caught all the above critters at problem hen houses (and the killing stopped).

[scott]

Hern,

Do Owls cause a lot of damage to the farmer?

[uncle buck]

See that kind of works two ways Hern...The way chicken are kept in Snyder might not be how they are housed here in SCPA....Many let them walk around (no Coop)...24 years and they may lose one or two to predators or a hawk.. However this year they lost everyone to predators...Then I see with my own eyes the number 1 predator in Pa take up residence.


What I am trying to say...You take even the Weasel. he gets into a chicken COOP...Where do the chicken have to run...He sure going to get chickens .. however out in the open...walking around the farm grounds.... Never any total wipe outs of flock for the last 24 years. Now everyone killed.... There is a different smarter killer around....A Serial Chicken Killer!!!!!!