We had our first loss yesterday, our sweet, big, buff Orpington. My husband let the chickens out when he got up because they have been super noisy. Around 7:30 I heard an alarm call but nothing else. I looked out my window and saw 3 of our 4 happily digging in the woods so didn’t really think much of it, thought maybe the 4th was in the coop laying.
About an hour later my neighbor texted me that there were feathers in her yard. HUGE pile of feathers, no blood, and a trail of feathers leading into their woods away from houses.
So best I can figure, the alarm call I heard was when something got her, I think she was heading back to the coop to lay and it snagged her. Took her about 100 feet into my neighbors yard, that’s where the feather pile was. Then took her into the woods.
The other chickens are not freaked out at all, aside from missing their friend, so whatever it was was fast and quiet, they didn’t even notice it. Just one quick alarm bawk and that was it.
And ideas what did this? So sad. We are in the northeast.
About an hour later my neighbor texted me that there were feathers in her yard. HUGE pile of feathers, no blood, and a trail of feathers leading into their woods away from houses.
So best I can figure, the alarm call I heard was when something got her, I think she was heading back to the coop to lay and it snagged her. Took her about 100 feet into my neighbors yard, that’s where the feather pile was. Then took her into the woods.
The other chickens are not freaked out at all, aside from missing their friend, so whatever it was was fast and quiet, they didn’t even notice it. Just one quick alarm bawk and that was it.
And ideas what did this? So sad. We are in the northeast.
