jeepgrrl
Songster
Hi all,
I'm trying to tease out any info on what aerial predator took my beloved Dark Brahma today. I'm thinking it was either an owl or a hawk. Her name was Feather Feet and she was a big, healthy girl, weighing in at around 9 lbs. She was missing when we returned home from work, around 3pm. The only bits of Feather Feet that was left were some feathers scattered about, pretty far from the coop; my girls free range. No blood, no carcass, just some piles of feathers scattered along the fenceline, and a bare spot where Feather Feet was plucked before disappearing. The area where I found her abuts a wooded area where we hear owls all the time. We have s 5', no climb fence that has no obvious areas of fence that would have been breached. This was a daytime attack, although exact time is unknown. I've had issues with migratory hawks in the past, but they left the decapitated body behind. I can't envision a hawk having the ability to fly off with Feather Feet, due to her hefty weight. The weather was gray but mild earlier, changing to rain with decreasing temps later. So do y'all think this was, indeed, an owl vs a hawk?
I'm trying to tease out any info on what aerial predator took my beloved Dark Brahma today. I'm thinking it was either an owl or a hawk. Her name was Feather Feet and she was a big, healthy girl, weighing in at around 9 lbs. She was missing when we returned home from work, around 3pm. The only bits of Feather Feet that was left were some feathers scattered about, pretty far from the coop; my girls free range. No blood, no carcass, just some piles of feathers scattered along the fenceline, and a bare spot where Feather Feet was plucked before disappearing. The area where I found her abuts a wooded area where we hear owls all the time. We have s 5', no climb fence that has no obvious areas of fence that would have been breached. This was a daytime attack, although exact time is unknown. I've had issues with migratory hawks in the past, but they left the decapitated body behind. I can't envision a hawk having the ability to fly off with Feather Feet, due to her hefty weight. The weather was gray but mild earlier, changing to rain with decreasing temps later. So do y'all think this was, indeed, an owl vs a hawk?
She is traumatized and exhausted, probably was up all night, frightened out of her mind, but she was talking to me and let me inspect her for damage. She has a gash just above where her wing is attached and missing quite a few feathers. The wound looks superficial, we cleaned it up and sprayed Vetericyn on it, so I'm hopeful she will recover. I got her to eat some egg, BOSS, her feed, and a few treats. She was able to make it up to her favorite roosting spot in the coop, another hopeful sign. I even went out looking for her a second time after dark last night and she never made a sound. I'm still in shock she made it back home! 
