Lost A Hen Yesterday!

[pv46sd]

I am a newbie to this chicken thing but I love it... till yesterday! I only have 5 ISA Brown hens (now 4) & 2 Bantam-cross roosters. I went out to close the door late yest. afternoon & only counted 4 hens & 2 roos so I started searching. There she laid, not 20 feet from the back door, half ate!! Feathers scattered all over, intestines pulled out & the meatiest parts were ate. I am blaming a stray tom cat I've seen around here from time to time. An eagle or a hawk would take the whole bird & also a coyote would, am I right?
Just makes me ill. I was getting 3 to 4 eggs a day and now this has to happen! Yes, they are free to roam the yard & do a tremendous job of catching grasshoppers & all kinds of bugs.
The one poor rooster was crowing & crowing this morning & now I notice they are starting to fight over the remaining four hens.

Call Me Sad In South Dakota!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's a shame.
Time to lose a rooster or get more hens.
You're right that a coyote or fox would likely take it away. However, if they were very hungry, they may have eaten it on the spot if they weren't concerned about being seen. Same for a cougar.
A smaller accipiter type hawk may not have been able to lift it so ate it on the spot.
Was it late enough it could have been a raccoon? They are also known to be afoot during daylight.

 

[Trish1974]

Fox and coyote will definitely grab and go, but hawks will usually eat on the spot. They will also eat the meatiest parts and leave the rest like you described. From my experience with cats and chickens... the cats usually get their butts beat! I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[pv46sd]

Ty & I think I lost another today!! Dog started barking, the chickens were squaking, I ran outside only to see a hawk flying away!! Won't know for sure till roosting time. This just sucks and makes me so sad!!

 

[pv46sd]

It was about 6 p.m. when I went to shut the door. At this rate, I won't have any left to worry about feeding this winter.

 

[aart]

Bummer! Risk of free ranging, now's the time for a secure run...pronto, cause it'll be back for more.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I feel for you because I've been through it too often.
IMHO, you need a big Mediterranean or similar rooster to protect your hens in the daylight.

 

[Trish1974]

Ty & I think I lost another today!! Dog started barking, the chickens were squaking, I ran outside only to see a hawk flying away!! Won't know for sure till roosting time. This just sucks and makes me so sad!!

Did you end up with another loss today?

 

[chickens really]

I take it they do not have a safe coop and run to be in then...You leave them out to do as nature allows....Nature got your birds...

Lock them in and save the ones you have left if you can? Once they know of a food source all Predators come back to get an easy meal...

 

[bobbi-j]

That's a shame.
Time to lose a rooster or get more hens.
You're right that a coyote or fox would likely take it away. However, if they were very hungry, they may have eaten it on the spot if they weren't concerned about being seen. Same for a cougar.
A smaller accipiter type hawk may not have been able to lift it so ate it on the spot.
Was it late enough it could have been a raccoon? They are also known to be afoot during daylight.

Yep! I had a mama with four babies kill my favorite broody in the coop in the middle of the day a few years ago. Let's just say that the problems were eliminated on the spot...

It was about 6 p.m. when I went to shut the door. At this rate, I won't have any left to worry about feeding this winter.

Time to build a secure run. Even if you free range 99% of the time, a run is nice for several reasons. One of them being you can lock your chickens up for a couple of weeks to discourage predators that have found your flock. I also keep them confined when my son and family come and bring their dog.