First predator attack and I would like help figuring out what it was.

[naightengale]

my mother in law just told me to tell you she thinks a pack of worf rats. she had a bunch killed by them years ago. looked just as you discribed some birds where carried off others were munched on right there and they show no fear of people or dogs.

 

[Keggen]

I'm in Minnesota so i don't think it could be buzzards, but I'll look up worf rats.

Today there was a huge, huge bird very close to the coops and chicken yard and it totally freaked out my flock. They were making a racket like I'd never heard and they were all trying to hide behind the coops, in a large kennel I have, etc. I turned around, saw the bird lift off from about 40 ft away and watched it fly into a small patch of woods nearby. It was bigger than a hawk but not the right coloring for a bald eagle. It was very dark, maybe black, on most of its body. The tail end was a lighter brown. The wing span was much bigger and different from a hawk.

Anyway, it made me wonder if that was the predator based on how close it was and how freaked out the chickens were. Also we determined that we lost 3 for sure, 2 were never found though. There was significant feather loss and based on colors I would think we lost 4, but then the numbers don't add up. So maybe one of my chickens was almost killed but escaped?

Would a bird of prey focus on the neck and crop/chest area of the chicken? I did think that the one bird we found had what looked like pecking damage in the crop area, because it was more like a circular area being focused on, rather than a full ripping/chewing style that I would imagine other animals would do. But I thought perhaps my own chickens had found her and canabalized her before we found her.

 

[aart]

Turkey vultures are often called buzzards...and I'm sure you have those in Minnesota.
They mostly feed on carrion (dead animals) rather than attack live ones. If you go look at the ground where you saw it, you may well find the remains of your missing birds.

 

[luvmychixandducks]

Turkey vultures definitely kill and consume immature chickens. So little they have no defense.
I lost 11 of 12 chicks let out of their coop just a half hour and not watched...
All were within an enclosed pen and were attacked from above.
The 12th we named Lucky Chick and she became the boss chicken in the coop- after we replaced those the pair of turkey vultures consumed. They were scared off when Mom checked on the babies and found the above.
Lucky Chick was found wandering in the street so must have been dropped .
These were only month old birds, and nothing left but feathers and feet.