Help me figure out this predator....

[ErnieBerley]

I have a pretty big chicken run - at least 75-100 ft long and 20 ft wide, and I have netting on top of most all of it. There is a 4x5 area near the coop that doesn't have netting because a tall bush is in the way. So, one day i heard my d'uccle bantams ( i have 5 bantam hens plus 6 other larger hens) making a fuss....well when they lay eggs they always fuss, so i paid no mind. All the chickens were cackling. Then I heard a couple screams from a bantam. When i finally went to check, I couldnt' find one of the Mille Fleur d'uccle hens...Zoe - she was sweet and so cute. There was no sign of feathers anywhere, she was just gone.

What kind of predator could do that? the entire area is fenced 4ft high, and most has the netting. could an owl take the bird off with no sign of her? I'm perplexed and don't want this to happen again. !! PS i finally figured out a way to cover the bush w/ a net, so now all my run is covered. RIP Zoe.....

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What time of day was it?

 

[MGG]

Aw, so sorry. It was a bird of prey. Hopefully the new netting keeps them away. How long ago was this? She could have gotten dropped and might be hiding somewhere.

 

[ErnieBerley]

What time of day was it?

it was later in afternoon but not near dusk ....like 3pm

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Then possibly a hawk, but owl can't be ruled out. Bantams are pretty easy to carry off. Owls usually knock them off the roost at night and eat them on the ground but I've had an owl fly into a coop and carry a young bird out.
A fox or bobcat isn't out of the question. A 4' fence is no obstacle for them.
You can rule out things like raccoons, opossums, mustelids, etc..

 

[ErnieBerley]

Then possibly a hawk, but owl can't be ruled out. Bantams are pretty easy to carry off. Owls usually knock them off the roost at night and eat them on the ground but I've had an owl fly into a coop and carry a young bird out.
A fox or bobcat isn't out of the question. A 4' fence is no obstacle for them.
You can rule out things like raccoons, opossums, mustelids, etc..

ugh.... we have eagles here also (bald eagles), falcons ....and panthers and lots of bobcats, coyotes and a red wolf running around

 

[ErnieBerley]

So to help me visualize this and get over the stress.... a hawk swoops down and flies away with my chicken - ALIVE?....then eats it in a tree or something like that? ugh her last moments were flying high up in the air with sharp knives in her back.....

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Your best bet is to not try to visualize it. Any animal taken by a predator isn't going to be humanely euthanized.
It doesn't matter if it is a raptor, feline, canine, or any other type of predator, the end isn't pretty but that is nature. It is usually fairly quick.
The real trauma is when it isn't quick. The bird survives and has a long road to recovery. I've experienced that with raccoon, coyote, malamute and other predation. Some survived, some didn't.
I did have a pullet taken by a hawk once. She was dropped into the courtyard of a retirement home. The hawk tried to pick her up again but couldn't. I recovered the chicken and she didn't have a mark on her and lived for years.

 

[hayley3]

I have a pretty big chicken run - at least 75-100 ft long and 20 ft wide, and I have netting on top of most all of it. There is a 4x5 area near the coop that doesn't have netting because a tall bush is in the way. So, one day i heard my d'uccle bantams ( i have 5 bantam hens plus 6 other larger hens) making a fuss....well when they lay eggs they always fuss, so i paid no mind. All the chickens were cackling. Then I heard a couple screams from a bantam. When i finally went to check, I couldnt' find one of the Mille Fleur d'uccle hens...Zoe - she was sweet and so cute. There was no sign of feathers anywhere, she was just gone.

What kind of predator could do that? the entire area is fenced 4ft high, and most has the netting. could an owl take the bird off with no sign of her? I'm perplexed and don't want this to happen again. !! PS i finally figured out a way to cover the bush w/ a net, so now all my run is covered. RIP Zoe..... View attachment 2032140

Sorry about Zoe...
It's always painful to lose them..
And you will never know what happened to her which is the painful part...but I hope you have the holes completely covered, in case whatever it was comes back.
You have many predators so it could've been any of them.

 

[Soy Milano]

Have you tried using the poultry predator identifier tool? http://www.poultrydvm.com/predator-identifier.php