Vixen hunting for food

[farmingfriends]

When does a vixen usually hunt for food for her cubs. I have lost a couple of guinea fowl recently. I lock my poultry up at night but they were taken before 6pm.
Thanks
farmingfriends

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by farmingfriends

When does a vixen usually hunt for food for her cubs. I have lost a couple of guinea fowl recently. I lock my poultry up at night but they were taken before 6pm.
Thanks
farmingfriends

although foxes are generally nocturnal / crespuscular they will take targets of opportunity during daylight hours particularly when they have cubs to feed.

that said are you sure that foxes are to blame - other possible culprits could include cats , mink, or large birds of prey.

incidentally a good book to learn pretty much everything there is to know about foxes is "running with the fox" by David macdonald, who is now head of the oxford university wildlife conservation research unit (Wildcru) - this is superb but can be a bit long for looking up specific facts as it is semi autobiographical. Another book which is probaly more accesible for quick refference is "the complete fox" by les stocker

[Gill Catton]

It could easily be a fox, as Pete said they will hunt during the day esp when they have cubs to feed. Are your guinea fowl pinioned? Shame because they are usually quite good at avioding predators being slightly better able to fly than chickens, I remember a hotel I stayed at had some and they put themselves to bed up a tree in the evening but - this of course was as it was getting dark - no defence against hungry foxes.
I think cats are a fairly unlikely culprit - unless you have a particularly hardened farm cat around, most chickens let along guinea fowl are more than a match for a cat... I actually think a guinea fowl is perhaps a little on the heavy side for most birds of prey too really though its not impossible....

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

It could easily be a fox, as Pete said they will hunt during the day esp when they have cubs to feed. Are your guinea fowl pinioned? Shame because they are usually quite good at avioding predators being slightly better able to fly than chickens, I remember a hotel I stayed at had some and they put themselves to bed up a tree in the evening but - this of course was as it was getting dark - no defence against hungry foxes.
I think cats are a fairly unlikely culprit - unless you have a particularly hardened farm cat around, most chickens let along guinea fowl are more than a match for a cat... I actually think a guinea fowl is perhaps a little on the heavy side for most birds of prey too really though its not impossible....

I agree tho a freind of mine's cat once took and killed a fox - but that was as you say a hard as nails half feral farm cat (he was also at least 1/2 norwegian skog cat and thus rather larger than average - and probably the source of at least one big cat rumour, but i digress)

as regards birds of prey again you are probably right but it does depend where farming freinds lives - one of those feral eagleowls could do a guinea fowl no problem , as probably could a buzzard or an eagle.

i do tend to think that a fox is the most likely culprit but i was just trying to cover all bases .

[fisherontheriver]

i do agree with eeyore sounds foxy to me but could be any predator.
have you found any evidence of a kill? any remnants? If so can you say what was left? as this can often give evidence to the culprit. not always but sometimes.

[farmingfriends]

Hi Everybody,

Thank you all so much for answering my question.

Eeyore thanks for pointing me in the right direction of some good books - I will look out for them. I think it was a fox as they have been seen. I live in East Yorkhire. Would a barn/tawny owl take a guinea fowl? Thanks again.

Gill - no my guinea fowl are not pinioned - I think they struggled to fly away as the crops in the field acted as cover for the fox. I do have farm cats but they are frightened of my guineas! thanks again.

Fisherontheriver - yes I have found feathers and then someone we know found a guinea fowl leg and wing near where we know that foxes sometimes live. Thanks again.

farmingfriends

[eeyore]

neither a barn or tawny owl would take a guniea fowl as it would be much too big for them - they live predominantly on small rodents - the only owl that would be capable would be the feral eurasian eagle owl but there isnt a population near you

it does seem that foxes are the culprit in this case

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by eeyore

the only owl that would be capable would be the feral eurasian eagle owl but there isnt a population near you

BTW off topic I know but I remain unconvinced that this pair of eagle owls or even either of the birds are feral...

[fisherontheriver]

does sound like a vixen feeding her young.
id rule out Bird of prey if they didnt eat at the site of the kill they would usualy prepare the kill for flight IE take of the wings and head (ive seen a Gos halk do it to a phesant in secounds)

[farmingfriends]

Yes I think it probably was a vixen.
Thanks for all your thoughts and comments.
Our area has just been badly flooded. Do you think that the vixen would have had time to move on or could she be a victim of the flood?
farmingfriends