Guineas saved chickens?

[HereChickChickChick88]

Okay so our biggest issue is goshawks - ferocious, aggressive, and brass goshawks hunt our free range chickens. They will try to murder them right on our porch! We do our very best to deter them. We recently added some guineas (successfully; knock on wood) to our flock. Still not 100 on both genders but at least one male. He seems to be an excellent alternative to a rooster. He seems protective of the girls but not aggressive towards us (so far). So the other day the flock was showing all the signs of a hawk attack (hiding, not coming when called, standing like statues, feathers everywhere, etc.). I searched the yard and I just knew, based on feather colors, either a guinea or a particular chicken was attacked, but I couldn’t find a dead body. At dusk when they all came o of hiding to make their way to the coops, I noticed one chicken with blood around it’s neck (clear sign of a goshawk attack as they like to rip off their heads in my experience). The chicken is perfectly fine otherwise, just like it was cut open and bled and I wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t a white chicken. Also, both our guineas were fine. I’ve never ever encountered a chicken surviving a goshawk attack... red tails yes... goshawks no. By the number of guinea feathers and chicken feathers... and I do believe a goshawk feather in the mix... I was wondering if the male guinea may have protected or helped to deter the hawk? Has anyone heard of this or is this wishful thinking on my part?

 

[centrarchid]

Guinea and chicken got into a fight?

 

[HereChickChickChick88]

Guinea and chicken got into a fight?

Based on their behavior, I strongly doubt it. They were in hiding with each other. All the signs of a hawk attack. When they fight amongst themselves they still will free range and come to me when called. They weren’t responding to food and were under a bush and a car in the driveway and taking shelter in the open coop.

 

[centrarchid]

Wounds to neck and feathers from more than one bird without a carcass left not consistent with hawk. More consistent with a small mammal failing to make kill or predator removed carcass.

 

[hayley3]

A guinea is not a protector other than by alerting the others to danger, if they see it in time...bigger animals might deter a hawk, such as a llama, goat, miniature donkey or dog.