Dead Chicken Mystery - What Killed My Chicken?

[ThatTeowonna]

Hello. Can you help my figure out how this chicken died? I let me chickens out on Sunday for some free range time. These are fully grown hens that lay regularly. I have a new dog in the back yard who is not acclimated to chickens, so I locked him in the front yard so he wouldn't chase them. At nightfall, they went inside the coop, as expected. I locked them in. The next morning, I noticed something strange looking in my yard to had my dogs' attention. I walked over and it was a dead chicken. After I counted the girls in the coop, I realized that it indeed was one of my Easter Eggers. The chicken's butt feathers looked to have been pecked clean and she looked muddy. That was very interesting since it was a hot day and no rain was in sight. No sign of snakes or anything like that since I have moth balls all around the coop. Any idea what may have happened to this hen? I don't recall hearing anything out of the ordinary during the day. And the girls have been together for months, so they were pretty harmonious together.

 

[The Moonshiner]

So the dog went back to the area where they were between the time they were locked up and when you found her or?
Curious if she got locked out and the dog killed her.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

So the dog went back to the area where they were between the time they were locked up and when you found her or?
Curious if she got locked out and the dog killed her.

Nope. No chance of that happening. When I locked the coop, I unlocked the gate to get the dog back in.

 

[Ascholten]

If the dog did kill her, id expect bite marks and not just the feathers chewed off the butt, but more of a torn up / half eaten bird.

she seemed muddy? any water around? a pond she got in and got attacked? the feathers being picked off could be natural scavengers after she died, since you don't know when she died. Many critters will go straight for the anus because it's a direct route to the organs / intestines, which is where most of the nutrients are and where many carrion eaters will head for first when grabbing a meal of opportunity.

Aaron

 

[The Moonshiner]

If the dog did kill her, id expect bite marks and not just the feathers chewed off the butt, but more of a torn up / half eaten bird.

It happens when a dog is just trying to play.