Author Topic: What Kills like this? (Read 1662 times)

oor wullie · « **on:** October 06, 2016, 09:28:44 pm »

Lost a goose yesterday. It was found at the end of a 20m trail of feathers with all the feathers/skin/meat stripped from its neck. I didn't see any other damage to its body.

Any idea what might have done this?

We have a cat who hunts but he wouldn't dare go near a goose and if he found it he would eat out the breasts.

There are very few other predators in our area due to it being heavily managed for game bird shooting. Most of the foxes, stoats, eagles, etc are shot pretty hard. We once lost a couple of hens to a stoat (I caught it on camera) and I did once see a pine martin about 10 miles away.

harmony · « **Reply #1 on:** October 06, 2016, 09:49:34 pm »

Mink usually go for the crop.

DavidandCollette · « **Reply #2 on:** October 07, 2016, 09:40:25 am »

I had a polecat attack my chickens. Went for the neck and back. Left a real mess and lots of chickens to be put down. Caught the bugger though!

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #3 on:** October 30, 2016, 08:17:32 pm »

Polecats can be fierce little b******. Our two (usually very brave) dogs once cornered one outside the dairy door and snapped and barked furiously but were very careful to keep clear of the teeth. A polecat (or possibly stoat or weasel) got in with one of our broody turkeys a few years back. She sat tight on her poults and when we came out in the morning she had no feathers on her back and neck where it had scrabbled away to try and get to them. Unusually for us, as we generally sell our chickens and turkeys in their second year at the latest, she'll now live out her life on this farm.