**Graphic** Help! Need to know what killed my chicken

[bigD Chicken]

I have been free ranging my chickens in the past months with no problem. Today one of my girls was killed. It happened during the day between 2-5pm when I was not home. Feathers were scattered and neck was eaten leaving only bones. I am totally new to this and I am not sure what would eat my chicken like that. Could it be cat or fox? Maybe hawk? Should I still consider free ranging anymore or should I keep my girls in the run moving forward?

 

[WingsysRoost]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

My first guess would be hawk. A fox would likely have carried her away, I would think. I have done way too much research after my own predator scare recently, and many of the sources that I looked at said that hawks will eat the neck and upper body of a chicken.

There is always some element of risk to free ranging, unfortunately. Only you can decide what amount of risk you are comfortable with.

 

[centrarchid]

Small mammal

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

Maybe a coon? It took the head off, but didn’t eat it, right?

 

[lagrange chicks]

Doesn't look like a hawk kill to me, more like a cat or dog. Did it eat the whole bird or just on the neck?

 

[Birdsonghill]

Not a hawk! A small mammal yes. A domestic cat, raccoon, small dog or opossum perhaps. A hawk would not gnaw at the neck! Typically several distinct scatterings of feathers then the carcass given time to finish leaves only the wings and perhaps the feet! Very neat butchers, If scared off they will have cleanly removed and eaten the neck completely gone, before eating the rest and then into the body cavity at the neck and the breast and consume bones and all.

 

[McChooky]

Probably attacked along the fence where all the feathers are. Coons will eat the neck and leave the rest.

 

[amarsano]

Looks exactly like the damage from the hawks that were taking my birds. It always ticked me off because they would only eat the head. i understand I’m in nature and I’m essentially offering the hawks a buffet, but at least eat the whole bird! Don’t know where you are, but the broad wing, sharp shinned, and Cooper’s are smaller and tend to do this, anecdotally.

 

[Birdsonghill]

I have never witnessed a hawk kill with the neck left and the meat knawed on but intact as was the head and neck in this case. If not scared off, the head and neck bones and all would be gone at least and no signs of gnawing of the meat! Hawks are neat and efficient butchers unlike mammals, eat most all the other birds bones and all usually, and leave pellets of the undigestible at their roost/nest site. Obvious mammal attack, likely a coon, opossum, domestic cat or similar small predator. Best wishes for you preventing more losses.