Anyone know how to identify feathers? Possibly a hawk?

[Krah24]

We lost one of our best hens last night
We found this feather in the coop.. It's brown and none of our hens have any brown feathers anywhere.
Can anyone identify it?

My husband says he heard the chickens freaking out this morning at dawn but when he looked out he didn't see anything and since he was busy with our baby he didn't do any further investigating.
Once baby went back to sleep he went out to the yard to feed the chickens and found our hen dead.
He head was severed almost completely off but not ripped off like what a coon does and her chest was ripped open. I've heard this is how hawks and opossums both kill chickens. There were feathers everywhere,that's where we found this brown feather.
She was too big for the hawk to take off with her.. At least that's what I'm told.

Any ideas?

 

[wigglesme]

I don't have an answer but just wanted to say I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

I think that looks like an owl feather.

 

[RandomDuck]

First if all, I'm so sorry for your loss.. I just lost my egg raised Guinea hen to a hawk a month ago.. All that was left were feathers. And yes, I am sure that is a hawk feather.
If the chicken is to big to carry, it will eat it then and there, with all other chickens watching.. That's probably why there were all scared this morning.. Well, sorry, and keep me updated
I always need someone to talk to..

 

[RandomDuck]

Ps, I forgot to mention
Hawks usually strike in the morning,
But yet that could of been an owl too..
I don't know why you would want to know what killed your poor hen, but if it happened to me, I would probably want to know..

Anyway, So sorry

 

[CrazyTalk]

Try playing around in this:

http://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idfeather.php


All of the owl feathers I'm finding are barred - it looks a lot like some of the secondary bald eagle feathers to me. Are you in eagle territory?

 

[Krah24]

Thank you

 

[Krah24]

Try playing around in this:

http://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idfeather.php


All of the owl feathers I'm finding are barred - it looks a lot like some of the secondary bald eagle feathers to me. Are you in eagle territory?

We live in Oregon so there is a lot of predatory birds here but we're in a urban area so it seems strange but I have spotted hawks and eagles in the past.
We also have huge trees and a big open lot next to us.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

 

[Krah24]

First if all, I'm so sorry for your loss.. I just lost my egg raised Guinea hen to a hawk a month ago.. All that was left were feathers. And yes, I am sure that is a hawk feather.
If the chicken is to big to carry, it will eat it then and there, with all other chickens watching.. That's probably why there were all scared this morning.. Well, sorry, and keep me updated
I always need someone to talk to..

Thank you.

 

[centrarchid]

Not a hawk. Great-horned owl. Figure out how it flies or walks in. Then block off until sun comes up.