ColSanders
In the Brooder
- Nov 2, 2015
- 6
- 2
- 11
Hey everyone! We're new here and found BYC while trying to get answers to our chicken massacre that happened last week. We found a great post that outlined common predators and what too look for in the aftermath of the attack. However, what happened to us doesn't seem to fit a single category - although we are new to raising chickens so this might be obvious to older pros.
We had 8 chickens (6 hens and 2 roosters). 1 rooster and 3 hens were about 4-5 months old and full or near full sized. The other 4 (one was accidentally a rooster) were about 2-3 months old. We had them free-ranging together trying to assimilate the younger ones with the older ones.
Sometime between 8 AM and 1 PM the attack happened. They were free ranging in our back yard - about 1/3 acre that is fenced (there is a gate area that was open). Here's the CSI version for you:
2 of the little hens were found with twisted necks, minimal feather loss, and otherwise completely intact laying side by side.
About 40 feet away from them, one older hen and one younger hen were found in the same condition about 2 feet apart.
About another 20 feet away from them, one older hen was found, neck twisted, and lots of feathers in piles stretching out several feet. The feathers were obviously hers due to color. There was no "flesh" attached to feathers. The body looked otherwise intact.
The little rooster is MIA.
The only survivors are one older hen and the older rooster.
We've seen an owl, a handful of hawks have passed through (but we also have a lot of crows). The neighbor's dog has come into our yard at times past, but haven't seen him in the back yard in a year. We live on 3 acres and back up to a hay pasture. Have seen coyotes but not during the middle of the day.
Any thoughts on what happened here? We'd like to address whatever it might be. The gate being open made me think it was the dog but they usually kill for sport - that explains the 5 left dead, but there's the one that got carried off.
Thanks for the help!
We had 8 chickens (6 hens and 2 roosters). 1 rooster and 3 hens were about 4-5 months old and full or near full sized. The other 4 (one was accidentally a rooster) were about 2-3 months old. We had them free-ranging together trying to assimilate the younger ones with the older ones.
Sometime between 8 AM and 1 PM the attack happened. They were free ranging in our back yard - about 1/3 acre that is fenced (there is a gate area that was open). Here's the CSI version for you:
2 of the little hens were found with twisted necks, minimal feather loss, and otherwise completely intact laying side by side.
About 40 feet away from them, one older hen and one younger hen were found in the same condition about 2 feet apart.
About another 20 feet away from them, one older hen was found, neck twisted, and lots of feathers in piles stretching out several feet. The feathers were obviously hers due to color. There was no "flesh" attached to feathers. The body looked otherwise intact.
The little rooster is MIA.
The only survivors are one older hen and the older rooster.
We've seen an owl, a handful of hawks have passed through (but we also have a lot of crows). The neighbor's dog has come into our yard at times past, but haven't seen him in the back yard in a year. We live on 3 acres and back up to a hay pasture. Have seen coyotes but not during the middle of the day.
Any thoughts on what happened here? We'd like to address whatever it might be. The gate being open made me think it was the dog but they usually kill for sport - that explains the 5 left dead, but there's the one that got carried off.
Thanks for the help!
