Elvis is dead!

[PaigeWells]

My double silver laced barnvelder Elvis was killed today. Daytime, outside free range, 10 feet from the open door to the coop and run. I have (had) 13 hens, 1 quail that thinks she’s a chicken, no rooster. We are rural in the mountains of western NC and have everything that eats chicken here… I have had my girls since April with no issues. They are inside a 5’ split rail fence lined with 2x4” metal fencing that they can crawl under or fly over at will but she was killed inside that. A big predator would have to go over or dig under the fence, no sign of digging. A raccoon, possum, mink, weasel sized thing could likely get under the fence in several places. (It’s not a secure fence, just something that keeps my dogs out if they run down there). In 2 years I haven’t seen a single stray dog, mine are in a fenced backyard or inside or walked on a leash as they will chase deer, turkeys, and anything else they smell). I’m thinking no on bear, dog, coyote, fox because they would have taken her carcass. (And a bear would go thru the fence). Elvis was dead around 4 pm, feathers in 4 spots all a few feet apart, she was cold. Her head was still there but her entire neck had been striped of feathers (huge pile of feathers ripped off right there) and looked inward on to me and she was drug up against the fence (like something tried to drag her off but couldn’t get through it). Her crop was torn open (obvious contents in a ball by her undisturbed) and a small amount of her breast area was chewed up but not by a big mouth. Guts had not been messed with at all. Rather a clean area besides the feathers, no blood anywhere. Her neck seemed broken. And she was not buried or hidden, so I’m thinking no on bobcat. I also don’t think hawk, all activity was on the ground and she is a bigish chicken, and up against the fence isn’t bits like. None of the other hens were damaged, I have 12 different kinds of chickens and all feathers were from Elvis. All the other girls seemed calm and normal so this must have happened a few hours earlier, after laying time as all eggs were in the normal spots. The other girls (all adults less than a year) seem fine and calm. It is possible that my husband spooked the predator 2-3 hours earlier when he was in the area but not paying attention to the chickens, he drove by on the gator and stopped 50 feet away to hook up a hose. Any best guesses as to the killer? I’m thinking raccoon, weasel or mink. Oh- no skunk smell, I do have a very good nose and didn’t smell any weasely type scent at the murder scene. For now everyone is on lockdown safe in their EXTREMELY predator proof coop and run- it’s Fort Knox level, (again, rural mountains) with 1/2” hardware cloth buried over a foot and then going out another foot and buried with big rocks. A mouse can get in (and they do) but nothing larger yet. I’m ordering a motion sensor camera tonight but I’m worried because whatever it was, it now knows we are here. I don’t really want a rooster for several reasons, but might consider it. Bless me with your knowledge, oh experienced chicken people who have suffered similar murders…. And yes, my husband thought I’d lost it when I called him yelling “Elvis is dead”…

 

[Geena]

Looks like a classic hawk kill to me, feathers plucked, neck and breast meat missing.

 

[PaigeWells]

Would a hawk strip all the feathers off the whole neck? We do have red tailed hawks in the area, I haven’t seen them circling the chickens but they are around. The crows are pretty good at harassing them in our area but I guess maybe one got through. If that is the problem, I guess I need to make a bigger aviary/run that gives them more “free range” outside their existing run… I just need to work around major elevation changes. Goody- another project!

 

[PaigeWells]

I felt a little mean posting her death picture, here’s one where she looks much better. Poor Elvis! (She was the ugliest baby but she grew up gorgeous!)

 

[Geena]

Would a hawk strip all the feathers off the whole neck?

Yes, they generally pluck a lot of feathers and just consume some neck and breast meat, leaving the head and rest of the body intact. Sorry about your pretty pullet.

 

[PaigeWells]

Well the $&@#%* hawk was just outside being chased by our resident flock of crows. It swooped down right off the front porch and over the (locked up safe) chickens and into the woods. The crows are still harassing it. I guess it came back looking for another snack. Thanks for the help and now maybe I’ll need a rooster. I really don’t want to cage the girls. I have 12 hens in a very large coop (16’x16’) but my run is only 8’x16’. Both are very predator proof with an open door between and then an automatic door to the outside. I don’t want babies (I don’t want to cull the extra boys) so saw no need for a roo but now I’m re-thinking that.
Thanks for admiring poor Elvis. She was a good girl.

 

[Bjwkarma]

Looks like a classic hawk kill to me, feathers plucked, neck and breast meat missing.

Looks like a hawk

 

[Bjwkarma]

Yeah that looks like a hawk to me too

 

[theoldchick]

 

[Birdsonghill]

Because of my past experiences I keep my laying flock and main rooster in a tight coop and enclosed run. However , I sometimes let a bachelor flock roam free range to eat insects and to admire as lawn ornaments. I have lost several to large hawks and my roosters were mature and fairly large Welsummers. They typically leave a pattern of three or four piles of feathers in the line of their attack and if they leave anything after feeding at the last location the feathers are cleanly plucked from the neck and breast area, with the neck and breast fed on and the neck may be missing as is the crop and whatever they reached in and cleaned out. If they had enough time the wings and feet are all that I find nearby. I have witnessed a couple attacks and they broke the roosters neck on impact but failed to cleanly lift off with the bird and sort of bounced along across the pasture leaving piles of feathers at each location they hit ground with the flopping rooster and the hawks swift strikes at each landing with its sharp beak and claws. The fourth landing the hawk began to pluck and eat the rooster. The large golden tan hawk with black bars on his tail was both magnificent and terrible to behold. He came back every two days until I locked up the bachelor flock and got another one. A smaller chicken and he likely would have flown away with it to a more distant and private location. The same evidence with the rooster flocks from year to year once a hawk starts feeding on them.