Hen Lost in Daytime - Do Hawks Do This?

[HoustonChicks]

I'm not sure what kind of hawks we might have in Houston, but it doesn't really matter anyway, only the fact that I've got some sort of large bird swooping down on my chickens! So any kind of predator is a "chicken hawk" to me. This bird comes so fast, I can't even see what it looks like. Twice I've been outside when it swooped down, and all I've seen is a big wingspan of light-colored feathers, tipped in darker color. It flies up very high and circles around again later. My chickens run for cover and set up a general alarm call when it comes around.
Yesterday in the afternoon, I heard a sound & I wondered if a cat was trying to get a chicken because it was very near the house. We found a little red silkie hen dead, with feathers all around. It looked like she had been eating grain in an open area where we throw scratch feed. Silkies sometimes wander off to themselves like this instead of staying with the group, probably because they're TOO tame.
Do hawks take away the chicken they catch? Do they try to stay on the ground and eat it there? What's their mode of operation? Does it depend on the size of the prey as to if they carry it away? My little silkie hen had been bitten clean through the neck! It must have been a powerful beak to do that! In fact, I did not find the part of the hen from the neck up! Did a hawk take away that part it could bite off? And why did the hawk leave, if it killed the hen? Could my other chickens' alarm calls scare it away? I have 5 guineas; could they have run it off? I've also found a BUNCH of guinea feathers; something clearly tried to get one, but they're big and stay in a group. The feathers were under a tree, so I doubted that a hawk could fly down and attack under the branches.
There's nothing I can do if this is a predator bird, but it's sure sad to raise chicks from a day old, to have to bury it like this. Our little silkies and Ameracaunas are our pets more than anything.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Yes, they can and I've seen them do it here in NY. I had one take my bantam roo and drop it *THUD* on the ground when I ran after it screaming. Probably to throw me off
They usually carry it back to the nest if they have young. The ones here do not eat it on site. Guineas are known for attacking anything and everything and guarding all birds, so maybe it did scare the hawk away and the hawk wouldn't drop your bird, so it held on tight
I am sorry for your loss

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

You need a broody turkey. They'll chase off the hawks. Well, mine does anyway.

 

[Nostalchic]

Hawks - around here, anyway - generally can't carry a grown chicken away, but hit it on the ground and eat what they can there until they are interrupted. Chickens squawking will not chase a hawk away - dogs, yes; an aggressive rooster, possibly; guineas, I'm not so sure but I've heard that they do. Smaller and immature chickens are at much more risk - also those that wander farther and are the least skittish or flighty (those are, of course, our favorites - the friendliest, most trusting, sad to say). I have seen chickens attacked and/or killed by hawks with injury to their necks. Your options are to have a covered run, lots of cover, etc. There are quite a few threads about hawks on this site. Good luck, sorry about your little silkie.

 

[abChicken]

My experience with hawks some have been carried away and eaten
found the feathers he left, one time scared hawk off left chicken stupid
hawk came back to finish the chicken he probly wont do that agn

 

[AuroraSprings]

To be a "bird of prey" means to catch and carry your food. They rarely leave signs of the dead animal. They have over 400 pounds per square inches of force in each foot, so the second they touch the chicken it's gone. Also, they dive from so high up the impact alone would kill most animals. I've seen a Golden Eagle take down a small White-tailed Deer. Falconry can be an excellent hunting technique. GHO's favorite food is skunk, which they kill on impact!

 

[domino7]

Quote:
I'm no expert on birds of prey, but I know from personal experience that this isn't entirely true. I've seen hawks attack in different ways, even chasing my chickens in and out of cover on the ground. I've also had a couple hurt, but not taken. Most of the time I see the hawk perched on a low branch, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

 

[abChicken]

agree with domino 7. I can tell you from experience they do not kill each time.

 

[commosmart1]

I let my chickens out during the day. What are some deterrants to keep predators like that away?

 

[drumstick diva]

Silkies are especially vulnerable to hawk attacks, because of their crests (crest polish also) they can't see well. They become 'sitting ducks." If you aren't gonna show them you can cut back the crest so they can see, or pull it back gently with a ribbon or beauty shop tape.