****Graphic*** What killed my bantam?

[General-Tso]

A week ago i went out to feed my birds and found my duccle dead under the coop with all of the feathers on her head gone. The rest of the body was untouched. There was a little bit of blood on the ground around the run but no tracks of any sort. I live in new england so we do have lots of hawks. Ive also seen an opossum wandering my yard a lot recently. My neighbor also has outdoor cats but i havent seen them in a while because of the brutal winter this year. None of my other birds were injured or have been since, which makes me wonder if it couldve possibly been one of my other chickens, though ive raised them all together since hatch and never had any infighting issues at all. Ive kept chickens for a long while and never had predator issues outside of hawks. Any help would be appreciated bc this has been driving me crazy.

 

[GodLovesU]

It does look as if the other hens had been pecking her head.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I would say the flock killed her. It doesn't look like any other predator got to her.

 

[casportpony]

So sorry for your loss. It's possible that she died from disease. Would you be willing to do a necropsy?

 

[General-Tso]

So sorry for your loss. It's possible that she died from disease. Would you be willing to do a necropsy?

Ty. This was a week ago and i did rid of the body so i cant get a necro done unfortunately.

 

[General-Tso]

So sorry for your loss. It's possible that she died from disease. Would you be willing to do a necropsy?

It did suddenly happen overnight as well. One day she was perfectly normal the next day i saw this

 

[talkinboutchickens]

so sorry for your loss. I agree that the flock went after her.

 

[2 Acres]

To the best of my knowledge possums don't attack chickens. But they might eat a dead one.

I know skunks will kill chickens. I had an incident a couple years ago where I left the coop door open by accident.

When I went to check on the chickens... there was a skunk on the floor... eating an egg. I snuck back out and got my .22 rifle.

I killed the skunk. Thankfully the tail never went up, but the slow release was putred.

 

[lintlicker]

chickens are always hiding illness or weakness so they dont get kicked out of the flock. Im guessing she died from illness/weakness and they could have pecked the skin off her head...sorry for your loss. :-/

 

[lintlicker]

chickens are always hiding illness or weakness so they dont get kicked out of the flock. Im guessing she died from illness/weakness and they could have pecked the skin off her head...sorry for your loss. :-/

if this was a predator more than just the skin would be gone from the head.