Lost my top girl today. 😢

[Onyxflock]

Yes, mine looks rag-tag in the outside, but they all seem to like it.

I’ve been setting frozen bottles of water In the afternoon and rotate them at night time, since it’s been hot.

I have top and 3 sides heavy duty tarped. Then I have a crap tarp doubled over and just hanging loosely in front so I can adjust it for shade.

Sounds like a solid home for them. You kniw tarps, they are what they are, but incredibly versatile!

 

[Molly Mojo]

Sounds like a solid home for them. You kniw tarps, they are what they are, but incredibly versatile!

I would just bury her aways away from the coop.

That was supposed to be “cheap” tarp not “crap.”
Couldn’t bury

 

[fanniefarmer]

I have free rangers in my backyard.

I’m outside a lot and have hiding places for the birds.

I was inside for about an hour (Happened between 10a-11a) and came out to my girl dead on the ground and her head was missing.

No trail. Minimal blood where her body lay. Not many feathers.

Do hawks just take heads? She was 3 months old, so not adult, but still not tiny.
View attachment 2228066

All the others were hiding well, and two of them were hidden so well I had to search.

I will be building an enclosed run in the next month.

I know this is a part of “farm life” and I will adjust, just a bit sad.

She would come onto the porch and talk to me when I had food. It was as if she was presenting her argument about why I should share.

She almost always won the argument

I’m so sorry your sweet girl was killed. I was losing young birds and couldn’t figure out why until one day I came from letting the chickens out and there was a feral cat in my garage. Well I threw at him the first thing I could grab and he ran for the chicken lot. I had seen him around a number of times but didn’t think he was bothering my chickens because I thought he cane around to bother my neighbor’s female cats. But I had lost two in a short period of time so I was getting worried. Well that evening when I went to close up the barn I didn’t see my little pet pullet. She was my favorite and I had been so afraid something would happen to her. I had a bad feeling and went looking around and there was a little pile of her pretty feathers. She was gone. And what’s worse that’s right where the stupid cat ran to when I chased him out of the garage. I set my traps and after about a week I caught the cat. He was as wild acting as a raccoon in the cage when I came near. I can’t shoot a cat so I took him about 12 miles away, across a river and across the interstate to make sure he never comes back. You’ve likely got a feral cat if you’re losing smallish birds in the daytime. Trap him and make absolutely sure he can’t get back at your chickens. I hope this helps.

 

[seraphine]

I dont believe in throwing a creature in the trash life waste paper. I wrap them in red fabric. I smug them with sage. I thank them for the time they spent with me. I bury mine deeply using a post hole digger. I sprinkle some crumble and scratch in the hole/grave, put large large rocks over the site and leave them there for a few weeks. They were in my care so I send their remains off with dignity. I would do nothing less. IN THE TRASH??? How disrespectful of a precious life!

 

[Molly Mojo]

Is this your night-time or daytime setup?

It’s the coop for now. They free range for about an hour or so in the evening now with me outside.

 

[Molly Mojo]

I dont believe in throwing a creature in the trash life waste paper. I wrap them in red fabric. I smug them with sage. I thank them for the time they spent with me. I bury mine deeply using a post hole digger. I sprinkle some crumble and scratch in the hole/grave, put large large rocks over the site and leave them there for a few weeks. They were in my care so I send their remains off with dignity. I would do nothing less. IN THE TRASH??? How disrespectful of a precious life!

I called animal control and they took her for me, since I don’t know what got her.

 

[LoneOak]

Shit and dead birds happens, it was most likely a Coon, Possum or Coyote.

 

[Hooverlaw]

I have free rangers in my backyard.

I’m outside a lot and have hiding places for the birds.

I was inside for about an hour (Happened between 10a-11a) and came out to my girl dead on the ground and her head was missing.

No trail. Minimal blood where her body lay. Not many feathers.

Do hawks just take heads? She was 3 months old, so not adult, but still not tiny.
View attachment 2228066

All the others were hiding well, and two of them were hidden so well I had to search.

I will be building an enclosed run in the next month.

I know this is a part of “farm life” and I will adjust, just a bit sad.

She would come onto the porch and talk to me when I had food. It was as if she was presenting her argument about why I should share.

She almost always won the argument

Sounds a lot more like a raccoon to me and not a hawk. Raccoons are known for taking heads and will kill and gut an entire flock if able to reach inside the coop!

 

[Tilhana]

So sorry for your loss!

Hawks will absolutely take just a head. About a month ago I heard some commotion among my birds and came outside to see what was going on. I saw very clearly a red tailed hawk fly off into the woods, and found the remains of a weeks-old gosling and a pullet. The pullet was missing just the head, while the gosling was...we'll say, 95% gone. Nearest I can figure, the hawk dropped down onto the pullet, took the head quickly, then saw the gosling and decided to change targets and take her time with the younger bird.

Owls are also known for taking just the head, but given the timing it was more likely a hawk in your case. For what it's worth, I have guard geese and while that didn't prevent the attack, it was hearing the gander honking that made me suspect something was up. As an added measure, I've since put up a scarecrow, and move it every few days so it circles the run. Haven't had any attacks since, despite the run being right on the edge of the woods and every incentive for that hawk to return. Might not be super effective if your girls are free-ranging all day, but since aerial predators aren't stopped by electric fencing, it's helpful to have some kind of deterrent, especially one that resembles a human. You could also try playing talk radio near where they free-range. The human voices sometimes deter predators.

 

[penelopebianchi]

I have free rangers in my backyard.

I’m outside a lot and have hiding places for the birds.

I was inside for about an hour (Happened between 10a-11a) and came out to my girl dead on the ground and her head was missing.

No trail. Minimal blood where her body lay. Not many feathers.

Do hawks just take heads? She was 3 months old, so not adult, but still not tiny.
View attachment 2228066

All the others were hiding well, and two of them were hidden so well I had to search.

I will be building an enclosed run in the next month.

I know this is a part of “farm life” and I will adjust, just a bit sad.

She would come onto the porch and talk to me when I had food. It was as if she was presenting her argument about why I should share.

She almost always won the argument

Yes. We just lost a young but not baby chicken to a Cooper’s hawk. Took head! You interrupted the feast. We left her for the hawk to finish. Sad.