First loss

[hayley3]

Not sure why that second video posted...and I can't edit it out, although eventually it does show a fox climbing straight up a tree.

 

[Callender Girl]

It's good to know what your predator is so you can reduce the likelihood of future kills. But, regardless, it's still painful to lose one of your girls and worry about how her life ended. Everyone who has chickens for any length of time goes down that same road.

I hope the rest of your flock is doing well. Losing a flock mate can freak them out for a while, especially if they witnessed the kill.

I am so sorry for your loss. She was a pretty girl.

 

[ammyg]

I have never had a stray cat bother a chicken either. Had to be big enough to carry the bird off. And foxes can climb anything.

and

I don't think we have foxes here. I have only seen possum's and sometimes racoons.

 

[Birdsong 82]

From experience I know a possum will disembowel a chicken. Whenever a raccoon has taken my chicken I never see it again but I've heard they also disembowel

 

[cmom]

Put up a game camera. More than likely the predator has been lurking looking for a opportunity then you will know for sure what you're dealing with. I have several cameras on my property and have discovered over the years that many predators have routines and routes they use often. This coyote has an injured right front foot. I see it quite often.

 

[Mark_Khrushchev]

I lost one of my girls today. I woke up and noticed some feathers. I am not sure what could of got her as the feathers were in one spot. Nothing leading in or out, not any remaining parts. The other 3 are fine nothing seemed to happen to them. I am thinking a hawk but they have never attempted to get them before. Sad to say she was my favorite and a great egg layer and overall bird. Could just be I was not home like normal the past 2 days checking on them and that is what allowed it to happen. Feel bad how scared she was..

I remember a chicken I used to have, I called her queen chicken as i liked her the most. A few years ago, we woke up to a bunch of feathers on the ground. It was traumatizing to say the least. We had to move her out from the main chicken area since she used to get pecked by our Red Junglefowl. We support you through these tough times.

 

[gtaus]

Sorry for your loss. She was a pretty one.

My ISA Brown is the most people friendly chicken in my small mixed flock of 10 different breeds. She jumps up on the ledge and lets me pet her every morning when I go out to the coop and open the pop door. She was also the first chicken to start laying eggs and almost every day since then. She is a real sweetheart so I can imagine our loss.

 

[cmom]

I feel your pain. Several months ago I lost my most favorite special bird to a fox during the middle of the day. I cried She (Gladys) was a cross beak I hatched out. She was 3 years old when the fox got her. I still miss her every day. Most of the time it seems to be our favorites that are killed.

 

[hayley3]

I was in shock when I arrived home one day at 4pm and found my flock (6 of my 9 girls) massacred. I ran inside the house and when I came back out, one of the bodies was missing that had only been there minutes before. It was dusk at the time I arrived and I had worked a few minutes over that day. Most people cannot understand how devastating it is to lose your chicken and I love the people on this site because they really do understand the pain of losing even one chicken.

 

[NightingaleJen]

Oh, I'm very sorry.