Odd Loss in my flock - thoughts on what might have killed my rooster????????

[Inkheart]

I have experienced losses over the years and have gotten pretty knowledgeable for what signs dictate what predator i am dealing with - but this time not so sure. I run a flock that free ranges on about an acre or two. Fenced in securely with a five foot high wire fence. I have had minks - and fox before over the years. But this time i came back home and the whole flock including the two goats were in the barn and were not coming out. I found this odd so walked the field. All the way i nthe back in the very corner i found my young cockerel dead. No trail of feathers up to the kill spot nothing. So this threw me off a bit. Whatever it was had eaten his head - the whole breast and his "insides" were out eaten and half eaten lying next to his body. Usually some thing like a fox or whatever i would think there would be a trail of feathers . Nottihng -seems it killed him on the spot and ate right there. Any thoughts ? I set traps last night and cught two coons . Thansk for your thougths or input!!!!

 

[centrarchid]

All signs suggest to me hawk although hawk should not have frightened goats.

 

[HEChicken]

I had a fox attack a month ago and killed 14 birds in a 30-minute time frame. There was no trail of feathers leading up to each body. Just 14 bodies scattered around the yard. At the time I did not know it was a fox but he returned the next day and after I had dispatched him, I got a good look. After that I read about foxes to understand what I was dealing with, figuring that where there is one, there will likely be more. What I learned is that they kill by inflicting multiple bite wounds on the neck and back. That was consistent with the injuries I found on my dead birds. There were two that were still alive when I found them but their necks were broken - also consistent - and I had to cull them.

I also read that a fox will carry off its kill to eat it or stash to eat later. My chicken area sounds similar to yours in that it is about an acre fenced with 5' high welded wire. The fox climbed it like it was a ladder (watched him do it the second day) but would have been unable to carry birds back over the fence. It is possible whatever killed your cockerel carried it to the far corner intending to go over the fence with him but was unable to, so stopped and ate him right there instead.

 

[Inkheart]

The odd thing when i found the poor guy i looked up in the pine tree right about the body there was a red tailed hawk sitting there,. These are large fowl Cochins so not lil birds - so i was wondering if that hawk did it? Or saw the carcass and thought free meal . Had a fox issue a few years back and that one would leave trails of feathers around and then you would find the body headless in the fence cause they couldnt get it thru. thank you so much for your thoughts

 

[centrarchid]

A red-tail can even take out of my adult American gamecocks if hawk can get rooster alone in open and attack from above. My games are much tougher customers than Cochins.

 

[Inkheart]

you have that right my cochins are pretty darn docile and well lets face it SLOW - thank you