- Aug 19, 2010
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- 2
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I have been driving myself absolutely CRAZY trying to replay in my head what might have happened to my sweet litttle hen, so I thought I would get some thoughts from more experienced chicken owners. I think all signs point to pre-sunrise owl ambush attack....
Gladys had lived as an "only chicken" since I rescued her from my uncle's flock 2 months ago (rooster was extremely aggressive towards her, half her head had been cannabalized and one eye was severely damaged)...she recovered extremely well and adapted to her new life: scratching in the dirt, taking dust baths, laying 5 eggs a week, fearlessly wandering the yard (and the house) and letting herself into the living room at 7 pm to roost on the book case each night. Despite the fact that she seemed perfectly content, I felt like she should at least have the chance to be with other chickens so I re-homed her to a friend's farm with the intention that I would take her back at any time if she didn't adjust well or seem to thrive with the other chickens (only 2 birds). She had been there for a little over a week ( like any good mom, I visited her every day!), when she, in effect, ran away and refused to let my friend catch her one night. Of course, I was out of town at the time. Gladys did not seem to particularly care for the other chickens, and preferred to be off on her own or hang out me when I was there, despite the fact that the other chickens were on the other side of wire and could not get to her-- she just showed zero interest in the flock dynamic.
By the time I found out Gladys was missing, she had been out for one full night already and had failed to return the next day..I drove the 350 miles home and woke up at 5 am the next morning to attempt to find her. By the time I got to the farm at 6:15, it was already pretty light out (I think sunrise was 6:20 or something). After walking around the perimeter for 15 minutes or so, I looked behind the barn-- and saw her headless body about 5 feet from the building. She was still warm and not stiff, so I can only assume it had happened when she got down from her roost and headed for the barn, presumably pretty soon before I arrived. Talk about GUILT! Anyway, her neck and head were totally devoid of meat but the bones were still there. And nearby (4-5 feet away) directly under a tree (also near a fencepost) was another pile of feathers some in clumps with the flesh still attached.
I'm thinking owl...does this sound like a reasonable guess? Can anyone tell me anything about how owls actually kill chickens? I know it sounds morbid, but I have been trying to do research so I can at least better understand what happened to her. The hardest part for me is the understanding that this just seems to be a "luxury kill" for the predator to just have eaten her head and neck and left most of the meat. I have worked with livestock for a living in the past, but this is especially difficult for me because, as I now realize, this particular chicken was certainly a pet to me; I tried to do what I felt was best for her by giving her the chance to be with her own species again, but it sadly seems to have backfired
Gladys had lived as an "only chicken" since I rescued her from my uncle's flock 2 months ago (rooster was extremely aggressive towards her, half her head had been cannabalized and one eye was severely damaged)...she recovered extremely well and adapted to her new life: scratching in the dirt, taking dust baths, laying 5 eggs a week, fearlessly wandering the yard (and the house) and letting herself into the living room at 7 pm to roost on the book case each night. Despite the fact that she seemed perfectly content, I felt like she should at least have the chance to be with other chickens so I re-homed her to a friend's farm with the intention that I would take her back at any time if she didn't adjust well or seem to thrive with the other chickens (only 2 birds). She had been there for a little over a week ( like any good mom, I visited her every day!), when she, in effect, ran away and refused to let my friend catch her one night. Of course, I was out of town at the time. Gladys did not seem to particularly care for the other chickens, and preferred to be off on her own or hang out me when I was there, despite the fact that the other chickens were on the other side of wire and could not get to her-- she just showed zero interest in the flock dynamic.
By the time I found out Gladys was missing, she had been out for one full night already and had failed to return the next day..I drove the 350 miles home and woke up at 5 am the next morning to attempt to find her. By the time I got to the farm at 6:15, it was already pretty light out (I think sunrise was 6:20 or something). After walking around the perimeter for 15 minutes or so, I looked behind the barn-- and saw her headless body about 5 feet from the building. She was still warm and not stiff, so I can only assume it had happened when she got down from her roost and headed for the barn, presumably pretty soon before I arrived. Talk about GUILT! Anyway, her neck and head were totally devoid of meat but the bones were still there. And nearby (4-5 feet away) directly under a tree (also near a fencepost) was another pile of feathers some in clumps with the flesh still attached.
I'm thinking owl...does this sound like a reasonable guess? Can anyone tell me anything about how owls actually kill chickens? I know it sounds morbid, but I have been trying to do research so I can at least better understand what happened to her. The hardest part for me is the understanding that this just seems to be a "luxury kill" for the predator to just have eaten her head and neck and left most of the meat. I have worked with livestock for a living in the past, but this is especially difficult for me because, as I now realize, this particular chicken was certainly a pet to me; I tried to do what I felt was best for her by giving her the chance to be with her own species again, but it sadly seems to have backfired
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