Chicken Killed in Bizarre Way in Day. Ideas?

[KanaKukkula]

6 -- year old hens were let out of secure coop this morning early when fed as usual. Found 1 Rhode Island Red hen dead in yard this afternoon. All intact but feathers and skin stripped to bone all around entire neck. No tracks or loose feathers of any kind. Hens run around in quite a large fenced in yard, triple fenced at bottom. Never had a predator problem in those yards before. They run with elderly Emden goose and 6 Saxony ducks.
Any ideas of what could do this, leaving no trace? Thanks. We live in rural central Pa.

 

[Ebony Rose]

A bird of prey perhaps, their talons are quite sharp and could strip the feathers and skin from the bone easily. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[sourland]

Meat stripped from the neck is one of the earmarks of a raptor kill, but generally there are feathers scattered around the kill site. Be on guard - whatever will be back now that it has found a source of food. Good luck.

 

[cmom]

My suggestion is if you have a game camera put it up because the predator, whatever it is, will be back now that it's made a kill. I have several cameras up and have been surprised at the number of predators that roam around here mostly at night. Good luck...