So I have lost a hen who flew my large penned area for them to free range and wandered into a field with another hen who also escaped. She was a Dominique hen that was probably 6-8 pounds heavy. The field is just across of the penned area and behind one of my utility buildings. I come outside to find my other hen, an Easter Egger squawking in the field. I was able to shepherd her back to a safe place and tried to find my other hen. A couple yards away from where I first found my Easter Egger was an attack site with scattered feathers everywhere. I was able to find 4 attack sites where feathers were present which all lead to the woods. There was no blood that I could find, just a lot of feathers. After trying to find more trails to track I eventually was lost and never found a body.
My large black cat comes walking from the exact direction my hen must have been led a couple minutes later after I tried searching for her. He's notorious for killing small animals like rodents and birds. When I had chicks, he would always eyeball them from behind the brooder, and I knew he had full intent to kill them if he could have reached them. He has been around my hens and rooster before, but has never attacked them before as I have observed. He has tried to stalk them, but he does that with my dogs too. The same week I found vomit in my yard with her feathers in it. Could he have killed her? Would an adult cat kill a grown hen?
We also have a lot of wildlife around us, as we are surrounded by woods. I have seen foxes, coyotes, hawks, and even stray dogs roam my yard and that field. If any insight can be given, I would appreciate any speculation.
My large black cat comes walking from the exact direction my hen must have been led a couple minutes later after I tried searching for her. He's notorious for killing small animals like rodents and birds. When I had chicks, he would always eyeball them from behind the brooder, and I knew he had full intent to kill them if he could have reached them. He has been around my hens and rooster before, but has never attacked them before as I have observed. He has tried to stalk them, but he does that with my dogs too. The same week I found vomit in my yard with her feathers in it. Could he have killed her? Would an adult cat kill a grown hen?
We also have a lot of wildlife around us, as we are surrounded by woods. I have seen foxes, coyotes, hawks, and even stray dogs roam my yard and that field. If any insight can be given, I would appreciate any speculation.
