26 Dead Poults in Pen

[jamross65]

As above, all with heads missing. Guess what I'll be doing over the next few nights...

 

[bogtrotter]

That will keep you busy for a while, cubs more than likely.

 

[jamross65]

Yep, I would agree.

At least there is a bit of a wind just now. Last couple of times I was out it was completely breathless and the one I managed to call in stood at an angle that meant opening the door to go across the bonnet. Off the second it heard the click.

 

[norma 308]

try mink ,polecat doubt cub what about pine martin your way ,unless you have lifted the wire on yr pens you dont say ! is your pen pop holed anymore info .....
regards norma

 

[Robin]

Although 26 is a lot, I would look to birds of prey, buzzard, Tawny or goshawk, mum and dad showing youngsters how it's done.
Fox don't bother with decapitation, they just grab the bird, chest or wing and bite hard, end of story.
Over the years I have had a lot of poults decapitated and nearly always found tawny Owls to be the culprit.
Hope you get it sorted soon though.

 

[JAYB]

Although 26 is a lot, I would look to birds of prey, buzzard, Tawny or goshawk, mum and dad showing youngsters how it's done.
Fox don't bother with decapitation, they just grab the bird, chest or wing and bite hard, end of story.
Over the years I have had a lot of poults decapitated and nearly always found tawny Owls to be the culprit.
Hope you get it sorted soon though.

+ 1 on the owls

 

[jamross65]

All the above went through my head but given that several foxes have been seen recently going about by the herd, I suspect them. I have never seen a gos, polecat or mink in this area.

To explain the situation. This is ground that I have stalked on for 15 years and the Roe are outstanding on it. Under no pressure from owner and I'm in the nice position where I can manage as I see fit. However, as a thank you I have looked after the pheasant shoot for about 12 years now. The owner's wife is a great hunt supporter and has always asked me to leave the foxes alone for them. I had no issue with that as it was their money buying the pheasants. I would shoot the odd fox when seen though and would keep it between her husband and me. Last winter he lost almost all his ducks on the pond when it was frozen over and the foxes could get to them. Then the peacock was found with the head also missing (doubt that was an owl). He phoned me 3 weeks ago asking me to start lamping them as he was sick of the local hunt saying they would come up and then not doing a decent job. Yes, it is a bit of shutting the gate after the horse...

I lamp ground roundabout and the ground west of us is keepered. I don't know if that then creates a sanctuary on us or if it helps...

 

[Gazza]

Fox obviously a possibility but I would be thinking mink or owl. Is there water nearby the pen? Had this two years back, sat out at pen - mink.

 

[bogtrotter]

Although 26 is a lot, I would look to birds of prey, buzzard, Tawny or goshawk, mum and dad showing youngsters how it's done.
Fox don't bother with decapitation, they just grab the bird, chest or wing and bite hard, end of story.
Over the years I have had a lot of poults decapitated and nearly always found tawny Owls to be the culprit.
Hope you get it sorted soon though.

I don't know where you get your information but decapitation is normal practise with foxes especially when hunting for sport as opposed to food I would expect its cubs that are responsible.

I have lost plenty poults in release pens to foxes and just as described, tawny owls and other birds of prey will decapitate poults, but that is easy to tell as owls and other birds of prey defecate when they make the kill you will see a perfectly straight white line of shxt right next to the body of the poult.

Oh have you found any of the heads ? if not its almost certainly fox.

 

[norma 308]

Have had a bit of trouble this year with tawny s only in the first week or so when birds were still on the floor ....650 in one pen most it had was 4 in one night don't seem to be so much trouble now they roost in the trees .in my experience if a fox gets in it will do as much damage as possible until disturbed ....keep Your eyes peeled good luck

 

[www.yorkshireroestalking.]

I don't know where you get your information but decapitation is normal practise with foxes especially when hunting for sport as opposed to food I would expect its cubs that are responsible.

I have lost plenty poults in release pens to foxes and just as described, tawny owls and other birds of prey will decapitate poults, but that is easy to tell as owls and other birds of prey defecate when they make the kill you will see a perfectly straight white line of shxt right next to the body of the poult.

Oh have you found any of the heads ? if not its almost certainly fox.

+1 for fox.
owl will usualy peck out back of head and neck leaving the skull cap.
fox will not take every head off but most.
If its on legs there should be a sign of entry no matter how unlikely.

 

[old keeper]

A couple of points here. First I have had trouble over the years with tawnys, never had more than three or four taken in a night but they will take poults up to about eight or nine weeks and definitely when they are roosting.
I am a bit suprised no birds were eaten on the spot, were any taken out of the pen?
As far as foxes being left for the hunt,in my experience and having got on well with the local hunt, they never wanted too many foxes around as they wanted a good one to hunt and not get crossed up with too many others. No matter how hard you try there will always be foxes for the hunt no matter how many a keeper takes out. There are far more out there than most people think.

 

[jamross65]

A couple of points here. First I have had trouble over the years with tawnys, never had more than three or four taken in a night but they will take poults up to about eight or nine weeks and definitely when they are roosting.
I am a bit suprised no birds were eaten on the spot, were any taken out of the pen?
As far as foxes being left for the hunt,in my experience and having got on well with the local hunt, they never wanted too many foxes around as they wanted a good one to hunt and not get crossed up with too many others. No matter how hard you try there will always be foxes for the hunt no matter how many a keeper takes out. There are far more out there than most people think.

Old keepr

that is exactly what the previous huntsman told me when he used to come up!! At the end of the day, owners decisions though.

If it had been birds of prey I would have expected to find a few of the heads still lying around but the cover is making it difficult to find anything.

My personal thoughts as I said were young foxes...

Enjoying the debate though...

 

[BenC]

I don't know how many are in the pen but 26 is not that serious for a fox kill, owl sounds like it to me. I must be the luckiest keeper in the world, was feeding at 1st light a couple of weeks ago when the birds went beserk, ran back to the truck for a rifle and was waiting for charlie to come down the edge of the pen when I saw an orange blur go through the pen and start dancing about in the bottom corner. Shot him and never picked 1 dead bird, pure luck that I was there when he got in, new pen as well and it was a cub, could only have got through a pop hole. Was sitting up again as they came off roost this morning and had another. I'm very hard on the foxes here and don't know where this lot have appeared from, not seen anything for ages on the outside of the wood.

 

[norma 308]

Benc very interesting did the cubs dodge the electric fence on the way in too ,often wonder if a cub could limbo under the bottom strand
Cheers Norma

 

[Stacey]

Similar thing happened at one of my pheasant pens a few days after i got them, i shot a fox outside the pen in the field, so i left it there while i went to feed the poults. The poults started to go mad and a another fox went running past in the pen. Couldnt believe it when it climbed over the netting. It didnt get far but it took all morning to get the birds back into the pen!

Stacey

 

[stalkinginengland]

I would say fox or tawny owl. If you skin the breast and there are cuts like razors in the breast meat or obviouse talon like strikes on one side its an owl.

mark

 

[BenC]

Benc very interesting did the cubs dodge the electric fence on the way in too ,often wonder if a cub could limbo under the bottom strand
Cheers Norma

Hi Norma, the one this morning was on the ride outside the pen running about as they came off roost, think the one a couple of weeks ago must have gone under the fence and in a pop hole, my pens have a good skirt round the bottom and are 8ft high so they should be fox proof. Funnily enough there is a pen on here built by someone else who had no idea what they were doing which is absolute rubbish-poorly constructed with crap materials and it's not had any bother so far!

 

[tika.308]

+ 1 for owls

 

[jamross65]

I am just back from a proper look. The fence has been lifted slightly and the scrape into the pen is obvious. A head and a wee trail of feather leading back into the wood confirms a fox IMO. 24 dead poults picked with most of the heads not found.

This pen has 200 and the big one 400. Not a huge loss but still...

Spoke with the herd asking if any dead sheep lying around. This has to be the cleanest, well kept farm I have ever been on. Needless to say there is nout! I have asked that when there is to let me know and leave them lying out.

I will post any success on here.