Crow? Hawk?

[nes]

Something picked off my tiny cochin hen, and I'm totally ticked.

She was SUCH a cutie pie!! Her brother just dropped dead a few days ago too. I was really looking forward to seeing her full grown

.

Anyway she went out with the (now identified at cuckoo marans, thanks BYC!), ducks & turkeys this morning as usual (have pics to prove it), and usually we're outside all day but it was such a hot weekend we spent the day inside... and she wasn't around for afternoon bum-count. Or since. I think it was an aerial predator since she's just GONE.

There has been a crow hanging around, and she's just about the right size to make a tasty lunch. The red-wing blackbirds used to be our best defense but they've moved one.

Anything but a mature roo would help defend against this kind of attack?

(or netting in the entire run, it's too big)

Lenny (our immature roo) isn't quite old enough, he does help with head count but he's not big on the fight yet.

 

[AccentOnHakes]

How old is she? Being a Cochin, is it possible she felt the urge to feel broody?

 

[bryan99705]

Sounds like any daylight predator could be the guilty party. A bird could have got it as well as a fox. If the area is fully fenced, gated and skirted then it would narrow it to a flying predator. Hard to tell with the info you have. Need to consider a enclosed run, till your roo gets big and hopefully he will turn out to be a fighter, and only let them out when your sitting out with them.

 

[nes]

Fully enclosed run, she was 4 weeks old.
Wire all the way around (possibly she could have gotten out, but I did look & there are boards up where there isn't grass blocking up the holes), electric on the top, but it's not on yet.

There this morning, gone by 3pm this afternoon.

I know it wasn't the cats because they were in all day too & if we had a fox the dogs would have FREAKED...

 

[cmom]

I have several crows that hang out around here and actually they protect our chickens. If a hawk gets too close they chase the hawk. I have seen the crows in the yard with the chickens and they don't bother my birds. I throw scratch and other grains and seeds out for the birds. I think the crows take advantage of it so that is why they are sometimes in with the chickens.

 

[nes]

Hmmm... well then she either got out & wandered off, or it was a hawk :S

Really? A crow won't take a chick?

 

[mywifewasonherenowiamalso]

they will eat anything can you make a scarecrow

 

[nes]

Quote:

There is one in my garden (near the chicken coop) which is working quite well. I was just thinking this morning I should make another for the chicken coop

.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Quote:
Same here. I always know when there's a hawk in the area because the crows make such a raucous. When I let the chickens out to free range the crows will occasionally go into the run to pick at the feed. My lab doesn't like crows so she'll run them off. I have a couple of D'Uccle hens that stay in the run and the crows have never bothered them. I would think a crow would eat a little fuzzy chick, but then the broody is there to protect them. Just to be safe I keep my broody hen and the chicks inside the coop in a pen.