Calf Killed? Any ideas what type of animal?

hntwhitetail · Feb 28, 2011

I was wondering if someone knew what type of animal killed this calf in SE Ohio...

flacowman · Feb 28, 2011

Around here I would call that coyotes or natural death then maybe buzzards (vultures) got to him...coyotes woudl definitely be a culprit though as they eat from back to front.

rackranch · Feb 28, 2011

X2

flacowman said:
Around here I would call that coyotes or natural death then maybe buzzards (vultures) got to him...coyotes woudl definitely be a culprit though as they eat from back to front.

CAB · Feb 28, 2011

Just from your picture, it looks like the calf was born dead and then predators started to eat it. Do you know if it was ever alive?

Bulldaddy · Feb 28, 2011

The location of the damage is a bit odd to me. First of all, did you see the calf alive or could it have been born dead? Secondly, it could have died after birth then something started chewing on it. Usually, buzzards eat the guts first. You would have seen buzzards in the air or near the carcass. I think coyotes would have eaten more of the carcass than the photo shows. Ferral cats, dogs or a small varmit may have found the carcass and caused the damage in the photo.

firesweepranch · Feb 28, 2011

CAB said:
Just from your picture, it looks like the calf was born dead and then predators started to eat it. Do you know if it was ever alive?

CAB- the calf has a tag in the ear, so I am assuming it was alive...

But, how old was the calf? I would venture to say Coyote also, since they are active right now in our area. Usually they do no not go after live, healthy calves. Was the calf sick or down that you know of? When my daughter was very young, she had a pet baby goat that, while I was cooking supper, she took out of the pen and played with. When she came in, I asked her if she put her goat away and she said she had. I should have checked (she was 5), but got busy and forgot. Coyotes killed it during the night and just ate the rear end of it. My point is, the goat could not get away because it was tied to a fence, and up to this point had never been bugged by the beasts. Tying it made it vulnerable... we all learned a lesson that day.

flacowman · Feb 28, 2011

remember though something could have run coyotes off before they could eat more. we've killed deer before and eaten breakfast and an hour later half the hams were gone so mama may have found them or you yourself may have run them off

TYD · Feb 28, 2011

depending on how long it was dead opposums usually start eating from the rectum area so if i had to guess i would say an accident caused by another cow then the scavangers moved in

CAB · Feb 28, 2011

firesweepranch said:
CAB said:

Just from your picture, it looks like the calf was born dead and then predators started to eat it. Do you know if it was ever alive?

Click to expand...

CAB- the calf has a tag in the ear, so I am assuming it was alive...

But, how old was the calf? I would venture to say Coyote also, since they are active right now in our area. Usually they do no not go after live, healthy calves. Was the calf sick or down that you know of? When my daughter was very young, she had a pet baby goat that, while I was cooking supper, she took out of the pen and played with. When she came in, I asked her if she put her goat away and she said she had. I should have checked (she was 5), but got busy and forgot. Coyotes killed it during the night and just ate the rear end of it. My point is, the goat could not get away because it was tied to a fence, and up to this point had never been bugged by the beasts. Tying it made it vulnerable... we all learned a lesson that day.

You can tell I wouldn't make a great detective!!

firesweepranch · Feb 28, 2011

CAB said:
firesweepranch said:

CAB said:

Just from your picture, it looks like the calf was born dead and then predators started to eat it. Do you know if it was ever alive?

Click to expand...

CAB- the calf has a tag in the ear, so I am assuming it was alive...

But, how old was the calf? I would venture to say Coyote also, since they are active right now in our area. Usually they do no not go after live, healthy calves. Was the calf sick or down that you know of? When my daughter was very young, she had a pet baby goat that, while I was cooking supper, she took out of the pen and played with. When she came in, I asked her if she put her goat away and she said she had. I should have checked (she was 5), but got busy and forgot. Coyotes killed it during the night and just ate the rear end of it. My point is, the goat could not get away because it was tied to a fence, and up to this point had never been bugged by the beasts. Tying it made it vulnerable... we all learned a lesson that day.

Click to expand...

You can tell I wouldn't make a great detective!!

I watch too much CSI! Hahaha, but, you aren't the only one who missed the ear tag, several others posted if it was alive when it was born

Rustynail · Feb 28, 2011

Domestic Dogs. Killed for fun, didn't eat much, and went home to alpo. See quite a bit of it around here. Any tracks?

oxcowboy · Feb 28, 2011

Were the eyes pecked out? Couldn't tell by the pic's, but we have had some trouble with black head vultures being very aggressive towards cows calving and any thing that is injured. Doubt if they could have outright killed it though unless it was hurt or down. By the way we are in southern ohio as well.

JTM · Feb 28, 2011

If you do some searching on the internet about coyotes attacking livestock you will see some similar photos. I have heard that coyotes attack from behind and go for the softest part of the calf first. They will even chew off the tail. Was the calf a heifer? They may be more vulnerable to this type of coyote attack. It looks like the tail was missing, if so I would definitely say coyotes.

lfarms · Feb 28, 2011

COYOTE

titan · Feb 28, 2011

My guess is that it would be a coyote or a opossum. But not for sure.

rasor club calves · Feb 28, 2011

Coyote probaly

Bradenh · Feb 28, 2011

Rustynail said:
Domestic Dogs. Killed for fun, didn't eat much, and went home to alpo. See quite a bit of it around here. Any tracks?

ditto i think a cyote would have eatn more of it in order for survial

oldwood · Feb 28, 2011

Coyote will always eat the rear end out of an animal first,then come back ,dogs usually go for the flank or lower quarters.We have had problems with both over the years I'm 100 percent coyote.

Aussie · Feb 28, 2011

I don't think it was a Tassie Devil they normally eat the whole thing that and the fact they are not good swimmers

Earthmover · Feb 28, 2011

Red Fox definatley was the scavenger Death was probably in the storm last night, lightning, cow killed, got too wt and chilled. But a red fox will open the back end up and take the tail. They leave most of the rest and wait for it to rot for a few days, tenderized. Seen it alot in Ohio.

Calf Killed? Any ideas what type of animal?

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