Predator Diagnosis

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.
Cards Accepted