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Did a hawk do this to my Ameraucana rooster? *** graphic picture ***

post #1 of 9
8/26/12 at 1:56pm
Thread Starter 

I believe Big Blue died because he was trying to protect his hens!  My husband found him still slightly warm (in a wooded spot behind the coop) and partially eaten in his chest area near/under his wing. This rooster was a good size, and I can't believe a sparrow hawk could do this? That's the only type of hawk I've ever seen around here though. Blue had no other visible wounds, but there were a lot of feathers scattered, including several of his tail feathers. The skin on his neck almost appeared to be bruised but there were no other punctures or lacerations. My other birds are terrified (they all free-range). Can anyone tell by the area eaten what did this? I'm beside myself.

 

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post #2 of 9
8/26/12 at 3:05pm

Could be hawk, but also looks like crow damage. 

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Exhibition quality Blue Swedish Ducks and Gray Saddleback Pomeranian Geese,   Hatching eggs available in late winter and spring. NPIP

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post #3 of 9
8/27/12 at 6:11am
Thread Starter 

A crow could kill a large rooster?ep.gif

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post #4 of 9
8/27/12 at 6:22am
Yes, especially a group of them.
At the very least, wipe the poop off your feet before getting in the car.

"Member of the Derperella Club-- We're just all goin' round' the rooster, here!"
Good night sweet Trousers, The Derp Club will miss you.
Treasure the love you recieve above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished. Og Mandino
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At the very least, wipe the poop off your feet before getting in the car.

"Member of the Derperella Club-- We're just all goin' round' the rooster, here!"
Good night sweet Trousers, The Derp Club will miss you.
Treasure the love you recieve above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished. Og Mandino
Reply
post #5 of 9
8/27/12 at 6:25am
And sorry for your loss. May have been something other than a bird of prey though... All the hawks that we've had, usually has been neck area... Never under a wing... Could have been an owl also...
At the very least, wipe the poop off your feet before getting in the car.

"Member of the Derperella Club-- We're just all goin' round' the rooster, here!"
Good night sweet Trousers, The Derp Club will miss you.
Treasure the love you recieve above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished. Og Mandino
Reply
At the very least, wipe the poop off your feet before getting in the car.

"Member of the Derperella Club-- We're just all goin' round' the rooster, here!"
Good night sweet Trousers, The Derp Club will miss you.
Treasure the love you recieve above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished. Og Mandino
Reply
post #6 of 9
8/27/12 at 6:26am
Large cat?
At the very least, wipe the poop off your feet before getting in the car.

"Member of the Derperella Club-- We're just all goin' round' the rooster, here!"
Good night sweet Trousers, The Derp Club will miss you.
Treasure the love you recieve above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished. Og Mandino
Reply
At the very least, wipe the poop off your feet before getting in the car.

"Member of the Derperella Club-- We're just all goin' round' the rooster, here!"
Good night sweet Trousers, The Derp Club will miss you.
Treasure the love you recieve above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished. Og Mandino
Reply
post #7 of 9
8/27/12 at 6:36am
Thread Starter 

Scary about crows!  There's a lot of them around, so now I wonder. And there are stray cats from time to time that come around.   However, there were no other wounds on Blue.  It's obvious he was fighting because his neck feathers were still all puffed out like they do when they fight.  I sat out there for 4 hours waiting to see if "it" would come back.  It happened around 1:00 p.m. - so I don't know about an owl?  I appreciate these remarks from you folks, btw. 

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post #8 of 9
8/27/12 at 6:52am

Hi there,

So sorry about your rooster :(  That wound looks awful but I would be surprised if it was a crow that did the damage.  We have so many crows around here that live in the spruce and redwood trees next door and have never given our chickens a hard time.  They pretty much go about their business and I believe when they have eggs or baby crows they tend to chase the hawks away.  I live in California and it could be the crows are smaller or not as aggressive here.  For the last three weeks we have been scaring off fox, possums, raccoons, cats from the chicken area.   

 

Again, sorry about BIg Blue.

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post #9 of 9
8/27/12 at 10:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by suzpyoung View Post

A crow could kill a large rooster?ep.gif

 

Crows attack in a mob (probably why they are called a "murder" of crows).  They surround their victim and the ones in front keep their prey occupied while the rest of the murder attacks from the rear.  Very similar to the way a wolf pack brings down big game much too large for one wolf to handle.

 

Also, they will attempt to peck the eyes out so their prey can't see to fight back.

 

They killed an 8 pound duck on my place, so I don't think they would have any problems with a rooster.  I have caught the crows in the act, so I am not falsely accusing them.

Exhibition quality Blue Swedish Ducks and Gray Saddleback Pomeranian Geese,   Hatching eggs available in late winter and spring. NPIP

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Exhibition quality Blue Swedish Ducks and Gray Saddleback Pomeranian Geese,   Hatching eggs available in late winter and spring. NPIP

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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Predators and Pests › Did a hawk do this to my Ameraucana rooster? *** graphic picture ***