What killed my pullet? Graphic picture warning!

I was only inside a very short time when I noticed my tiny flock of 6 Pullets had gone quiet. I went out to investigate and found five huddled under the grill, one injured enough he can't walk. I searched for my missing blue Ameracauna and all I found was her feather, feet and intestines. What could it be?

This is the injured baby- I think the leg may be broken as well.


We have an 8ft privacy fence, the dog and cat were both inside. We live in a subdivision with neighbors on every side. There are no holes a dog could get through. We live in south California. There is an open hill on the other side of our neighbor on the western side. Trying to think if there is anymore info that may be helpful in identifying this predator! And of course she is one that was supposed to be going to a new home this weekend.

Sorry to hear of your loss. If there was no access to your flock from the ground then its sounds like it had to be a large bird of prey.

I was also thinking it must've been some sort of bird

Thank you. We have seen hawks but I assumed they'd carry them away. The parts left behind through me off! In our last home we would lose them once in awhile to hawks but only feather got left. Oh, and I should mention the remains pictured were under the trampoline. Would a hawk hang around under that for lunch?

Sorry to hear about your loss and injuries. Hope the injured baby makes it. I'm in SoCal too. Right now the hawks are migrating through the region, so my bet is definitely a hawk.

I live in a suburban area see hawks overhead almost everyday. Several have landed on various parts of my house and property trying to get my chickens which free range. Way too close for comfort! To give us more peace of mind and continue to give chickens the freedom to free range, we netted (overhead) nearly half of the area the chickens hang out in the most. If a hawk was really hungry, they could still get them, but we hope most think that it's not worth the trouble. Plus, it'll also hopefully give our chickens a few more seconds to run for cover.

Unless there is any way something could get through ur fence. How off they didn't carry off the pullets. Must've been a very hungry hawk! So sorry you lost your babies! I would be so sad!

Sorry to hear about your loss, I would think it was a hawk as well. We are having a lot of hawk attacks right now in Washington state. My husband chased one off the other day. The rooster had all of my free range chickens under bushes and buildings, but the hawk landed on a cedar fence just 3 feet above where some of the chickens were hiding under a sparse bush. The hawk was looking down at them, and about to pounce under the bush to get them when my husband saw him and ran yelling and the hawk flew away, My neighbor had the exact same thing happen at her house the next day and her husband ran the hawk off.

Based on my experience, I would think that the hawk would go under the trampoline to get your baby (((((hugs)))) so sorry....

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pickledpenny said:

Thank you. We have seen hawks but I assumed they'd carry them away. The parts left behind through me off! In our last home we would lose them once in awhile to hawks but only feather got left. Oh, and I should mention the remains pictured were under the trampoline. Would a hawk hang around under that for lunch?

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No North American hawk can carry off an intact standard size adult chicken. The problem from the hawks point of view is the aerodynamic drag a dead chicken with four useless wings and legs, not to mention drag inducing feathers and a tail produces. I know I have and maybe you have too seen Ospreys or fish hawks carrying fish. A fish however, even a dead one is shaped like a torpedo and its scales are held close to the body, even in death, unlike a chickens' feathers.

It usually takes a hawk sometime to kill a chicken. All this time the hawk is eager to get airborne again where it feels safer. Because of this, feeding often starts before the chicken is dead. Therefor the unfortunate hen usually struggles quite a bit while in the clutches of a hawk. These struggles can end anywhere, even under your trampoline. Poster 7 mentions a hawk sitting on a fence post eying the posters chickens. This is usually a hawks MO, and tends to prove that hawks usually catch large prey alter a short foot race. They don't descend on your poultry like a bolt of lighting out of the blue. If there is a trail of down feathers you can backtrack the struggle between the hawk and your hen from where she died to where the hawk first caught her.

Well whatever got the Ameracauna got an Easter Egger today. Had them cooped and everything. It pulled it piece by piece through the cage and left nothing but legs and intestine again. Guessing coon?

Day time? Fox