I am hoping people with more predator experience can help me figure out what is taking my birds.
I first lost two, a twelve pound rooster and a ten month old hen, sometime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eight days later, I lost seven more, six that were about two months old and one that was three months old, also in the same time window.
My flock free ranges from sunrise to sunset and usually stays under trees or in other covered areas, especially this time of year. The first loss was my alpha rooster and a hen. They simply disappeared without a trace. Eight days later, I lost the second group.
After the second attack, I found one kill site in thick cover beneath cedar trees surrounded by bush honeysuckle. There were scattered feathers over about ten feet (very violent attack compared to what was found later), just the wingtips, and a small patch of skin with feathers still attached. At first, I thought it had to be a canine because of the missing twelve pound rooster.
As I searched more, I found three additional kill sites spaced about one hundred yards apart in different directions. One was in cover and two were out in short mowed prairie grass. These sites were just small circles of feathers about a foot in diameter with no carcasses or meat left. A neighbor even found a similar site across a small creek about two hundred and fifty + yards away.
Initially I did not think it was a raptor. However, I have seen hawk kills on rabbits before and they look very similar, just a circle of fur with no carcass. What I am struggling with is the idea of seven birds vanishing within about four hours. I am also sure the local hawks could not carry off a full grown rooster. Still, I have read that hawks have been known to take multiple birds in a short time.
Has anyone dealt with hawks doing this, or could it be something else entirely? Maybe multiple predator types?
GTR
I first lost two, a twelve pound rooster and a ten month old hen, sometime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eight days later, I lost seven more, six that were about two months old and one that was three months old, also in the same time window.
My flock free ranges from sunrise to sunset and usually stays under trees or in other covered areas, especially this time of year. The first loss was my alpha rooster and a hen. They simply disappeared without a trace. Eight days later, I lost the second group.
After the second attack, I found one kill site in thick cover beneath cedar trees surrounded by bush honeysuckle. There were scattered feathers over about ten feet (very violent attack compared to what was found later), just the wingtips, and a small patch of skin with feathers still attached. At first, I thought it had to be a canine because of the missing twelve pound rooster.
As I searched more, I found three additional kill sites spaced about one hundred yards apart in different directions. One was in cover and two were out in short mowed prairie grass. These sites were just small circles of feathers about a foot in diameter with no carcasses or meat left. A neighbor even found a similar site across a small creek about two hundred and fifty + yards away.
Initially I did not think it was a raptor. However, I have seen hawk kills on rabbits before and they look very similar, just a circle of fur with no carcass. What I am struggling with is the idea of seven birds vanishing within about four hours. I am also sure the local hawks could not carry off a full grown rooster. Still, I have read that hawks have been known to take multiple birds in a short time.
Has anyone dealt with hawks doing this, or could it be something else entirely? Maybe multiple predator types?
GTR
