Did Hawk Kill my hen?

[preppingmom]

So, bare with me as this may sound like I am asking a stupid question.

We first got chicks last year and live on 10 acres. We lost our first hen today. As a quick background, she was molting in November in Ohio, but my hubby thought she looked more "off". He said her red things on her head looked pale (sorry, I don't even know terms and sound like a moron) I didn't see anything wrong with her. We had another hen look pretty bad while molting so I didn't see anything off.

Today, chickens were free ranging further back than they had in a while. Around 1 p.m. my son looked out back and thought he saw a vulture. I saw it and knew it was a hawk and had to have a chicken. I grabbed my boots and went out. The crows were screaming and the hawk flew away. My molting hen was clearly dead, although oddly it looked like she had flopped over and died. There was no blood and outside of some feathers being plucked out at the back of her neck, no sign of violence. She was already stiff when I picked her up with the shovel and had her eyes closed. Only her neck was not rigid. So, did a hawk just kill her with some sort of impact or quickly break her neck and then come back later to pull feathers out? How soon does an animal stiffen? Could she have flopped over and died (that may be the stupid question-sorry) and the hawk swooped down on her when she died? Obviously seeing the hawk made me think it killed her, but the evidence was strange and this is our first lost chicken.

We do have hanging metal in trees and a fake owl, but this was a bit past that area. Assuming the hawk did kill the chicken, but didn't eat it, I am guessing it will still come back and try to get another ?

Again, I apologize for my complete lack of knowledge, but I am a bit stumped by it all.

 

[McChooky]

Instantaneous rigor mortis can be caused by muscles stiffening due to a heart attack.

 

[SamLockwood]

Hawks usually kill chickens by breaking their necks, and the hen I lost last week to hawk was on pretty much the same post mortem condition: limp neck, rigid body.

The only relation to your chicken's apparent illness might be that if it was apart from the rest of the flock and moving slow that it looked like an easier target. I don't know of hawks going after birds that are already dead.

Hawks rely on speed and surprise, and even if you're standing right next to your flock when they strike it's generally over before you can intervene.

The bad news: they don't usually give up easily, although your odds are better if they get chased away before they can dine on their kill. Chances are you'll see that same hawk lurking around for a while.

Keep your flock on lockdown for at least a few days (maybe as long as a week or two), and keep your eyes open when you do let your flock back out.

 

[preppingmom]

Interesting. It looked like an instant death. I can't figure out if the hawk caused the heart attack or what.

Hawks usually kill chickens by breaking their necks, and the hen I lost last week to hawk was on pretty much the same post mortem condition: limp neck, rigid body.

The only relation to your chicken's apparent illness might be that if it was apart from the rest of the flock and moving slow that it looked like an easier target. I don't know of hawks going after birds that are already dead.

Hawks rely on speed and surprise, and even if you're standing right next to your flock when they strike it's generally over before you can intervene.

The bad news: they don't usually give up easily, although your odds are better if they get chased away before they can dine on their kill. Chances are you'll see that same hawk lurking around for a while.

Keep your flock on lockdown for at least a few days (maybe as long as a week or two), and keep your eyes open when you do let your flock back out.

Hawks usually kill chickens by breaking their necks, and the hen I lost last week to hawk was on pretty much the same post mortem condition: limp neck, rigid body.

The only relation to your chicken's apparent illness might be that if it was apart from the rest of the flock and moving slow that it looked like an easier target. I don't know of hawks going after birds that are already dead.

Hawks rely on speed and surprise, and even if you're standing right next to your flock when they strike it's generally over before you can intervene.

The bad news: they don't usually give up easily, although your odds are better if they get chased away before they can dine on their kill. Chances are you'll see that same hawk lurking around for a while.

Keep your flock on lockdown for at least a few days (maybe as long as a week or two), and keep your eyes open when you do let your flock back out.

Thank you so much for your reply. That is what I thought may have happened, but I just don't know how hawks work. Now I know.

 

[Chicken poppy]

This is a semi old thread but i figured i would reply anyway:

Firstly, so sorry for your loss.

Also, the thing on their head is a comb, and the thing underneath their beak is a wattle. Its okay that you don’t know it, i didn’t for a while either. But it will help to better determine what might be the matter by saying wattle/comb. I hope this helped a bit, again, so sorry for your girl. Im not sure what could have caused her death sense im not very good with that stuff.