I think it was a hawk, what do you think? CSI my dead bird *graphic pictures*

[YardBirdCountry]

Upset about this. My lock of five is down to four.

Today both the wife and I got home later than usual (around 7pm). I came home, changed clothes, and went around for daily scrap feeding, and water feed change. When I came around the back I caught, what appeared to be a hawk, fly away out of the corner of my eye. It was perched up in a tree near my backyard fence. I noticed the birds were hiding under the deck kinda spread out. When I came most of them ran to me per their usual behavior but I was short one.

As I got closer I saw my biggest bird, a cinnamon queen, was dead under the deck. Feathers everywhere. On its back, legs stiff, feathers around and on neck gone. Not much left of head and neck. Other birds were also picking at its head when I moved it.


feathers near secondary watering location, usual avoidance behavior would have been to go from here to under the deck, around deck stairs, were indications of feathers in that path


bird dead under deck


flies had started on it


legs were pretty stiff, very little blood found on the bird


feathers spread all over under the deck, the hawk must have kept on it when it fled there


what's left of its head and neck after I moved it out from under the deck, rest of the birds were trying to peck at its head, gross

 

[centrarchid]

Looks like a raptor did it. Four lines of evidence. 1) Feathers dispersed about but 2) appear dry, not slobbered on, 3) Muscle appears stripped away from neck vertebrate, and 4) muscle removed from a very localized location on breast.

 

[YardBirdCountry]

the same hawk came back this morning, came back after I left but my wife was home so she scared it away and locked the birds up in the coop

Looks like I am going to have to keep them cooped up when not home until I can figure out a way to deal with this hawk

 

[YardBirdCountry]

so you're right BTW, it is for sure a raptor

 

[Heidizzybean]

Yup, Hawk.
Scared a hawk away last Thurs. that had gotten one of my RIR cockerels.

He was a pretty good looking young fella.
Then later on, I was putting the chickens up when it attacked again!!! Flew down and landed on top of my favorite bantam Bootsie. I raced up and kicked it off with a screech of outrage. Sent it flying and Bootsie ran into the bushes. My Great Pyr. Koda, with an angry snarl, chased it off into the woods. I grabbed Bootsie and shooed the rest of the chickens into the coop. Then I saw that hawk flying overhead glaring at me. Next thing I know is that it was flying straight at me; and I was HOLDING Bootsie at the time!!! Koda jumped up and with a powerful thrust of her back legs; leapt into the air over my head!!! And I 5' 6", so she must've jumped 6'. She didn't even hit me with her legs!!! That hawk flew a little higher and off towards the field. Koda landed and turning on a dime, raced after the hawk. After I put all the chickens up, I started trembling and thinking, "Geez, if it hadn't been for Koda, I might've been cut up something fierce by it's talons!!" DO I love my dog!!!

 

[YardBirdCountry]

Wow! I can't believe it attacked you while you were holding a bird. One of my neighbors told me that one of the hawks around here attacked her when she tried to shoo it away from her bird feeder. Good thing you have dogs. I'm just worried that I would get a stupid dog that would end up bullying, cornering, and tearing up my chickens even worse than the hawk.

 

[Heidizzybean]

Try a Livestock Guard Dog; they are generally good for guarding ones livestock.

 

[suebee]

I've trained Golden Retrievers to protect my free ranging silkies for the last 10 years and never had a hawk attack that ended in a kill. Great family dog too.

 

[TulsaChick]

I had one try to land in my small city back yard today. I was outside too. I bet it was a out 4 ft from the ground. I sprung towards it and it flew off