Owl behavior- weird kill

[chickpack2024]

Three days ago my two youngest chickens got killed. I heard them around 6 am, squawking (which made no sense because they shoud've been in their coop which is pretty far from my bedroom window). I went running out to find both of them, still alive, very badly wounded (lots of blood under their wings/chest, but I wish I'd inspected better) right next to our house. One died almost immediately, and may have had its neck broken, and the other took about 15 min to die. I held her while she struggled to breathe, it was awful.

We have a VERY small part of our coop that still had chicken wire (instead of hardware cloth) and it had a medium hole. I'm sure, based on where those chickens died, that they probably got out and were free ranging (this is also a thing they were always trying to do). Even if a predator made the hole--maybe I just hadn't seen it.

I assumed this was a land kill--2 birds, almost seemed like a sport kill because they didn't look very eaten. But tonight, 2 nights later, my dog was barking while I was closing up the coop (I now inspect it when I close it up) and I looked up to see a big owl, hooting at me.

So. . . has anyone had experience of an owl killing like this? I may have interrupted him--also I keep thinking these two birds ADORED each other. They were a cockerel and pullet, both around 14 weeks old. They were never apart. They often slept with a wing over the small one. Maybe the multiple kill is one trying to protect the other and that's why it's unusual? I wish I knew.

Everything I read online is that this is typical of land animals--but I just have never seen a land predator here (just an INSANE amount of raptors, God help me).

I think I'm going to get some bird netting to cover the coop at night. We thought maybe a motion light too.

 

[ColdWind]

I would really be looking at something else. Owls kill for sustenance and there young, and are extremely efficient at it. I think your research leaning to land predators is pointing you in the right direction. Set out some game cams!

 

[chickpack2024]

Thanks. I think that would help end the mystery.

 

[McChooky]

ColdWind is correct! An owl doesn't play around . If I was you I'd move my chickens somewhere safe until I could fix my coop.Whatever it was will be back! Attaching 1/2" hardware cloth requires poultry staples or screws and washers. I like to use metal strips secured with screws and washers (after attaching the hw cloth with a staple gun first). A single layer of wire mesh fencing over top of the hw cloth provides add'l protection from predators that climb(coons, bob cats)

 

[chickpack2024]

Thanks--we have installed quite a few things--my husband (the coop builder) went a little over the top and is adding a lot of 2x3 beams to make the whole thing less accessible. There still seems like plenty of ventilation with the hardware cloth. Also, we found an old motion sensor light that blinks red and blue in our closet (why did we buy that?) so it's now installed as well. Fingers crossed.

 

[McChooky]

Thanks. I think that would help end the mystery

You can rule out foxes, coyotes and bob cats, they carry them off. One or two might escape (not likely) Mink and weasels kill them on the spot quickly with one or two bites to the neck(no escapees) You'd find claw and bite marks to the neck, head, breast, chest or thigh and feathers scattered if it was a possum attack (young birds, chickens) Raccoons will find a way inside a coop or run if theres a way. They'll rip a chicken apart thru the wire if they can get their paws in. They can unlock locks that aren't childproof.Sounds like a domestic cat or dog to me just saying

 

[rod5591]

Owls have killed at least a dozen of my hens. The worst was one night when a great horned owl entered into my coop at 3 A.M. through a hole and killed 5 hens. Two hens had their heads torn off and three were just killed from bloodlust I guess. Then it exited the coop through the same hole. I know it was an owl because the night before it took one hen that was up in a tree. I heard the commotion and saw the owl on the ground with the dead hen. It kept coming back night alter night until I was able to owl proof my coop and made sure all my birds sleep in the secure coop and not in trees and bushes as they like to.