Pile of feathers

[crandellmisty]

I found one of my babies as a pile of feathers in the woods today. Very little blood. What got it? I live in west michigan.

 

[boskelli1571]

Hi - sorry for your loss.What time of day did it go missing? What damage was done? Was the body intact, if not what was chewed/eaten? All of this info will help narrow down the likely culprit. If all that was left was feathers it's likely a fox or coyote.
Was the bird taken from the coop/run or free ranging?

 

[crandellmisty]

We let them out around 9 am to free range and then left. Returned home around 230. She was missing which was unusual, so I went looking. The pile of feathers was not even ten feet from the coop. And it was just a bunch of feathers, a few drops of blood and what I think was a toe. We have six 1 yr olds and 6 (well five) 8 week olds; we have never had a problem before. And they free range most days all day. I only lock them up at bedtime. My poor 9yr old daughter is devasted.

 

[boskelli1571]

Well......I would say that since it was daytime it was likely a fox. And now you have a problem, Foxy knows where there is fine chicken dinner to be had - it will be back. There are a few solutions for you, free range only under a watchful eye - if you have to go out, put the birds in a secure coop.; electric fencing around the run area; get a guard dog or get a gun.. Those are the suggestions off the top of my head, but visit the learning center tab here and look under predators, you will get more than a few suggestions for security, good luck!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A fox would not eat a chick where it caught it. It would carry the victim back to it's den. Look for a raptor.

 

[ZoeS95423]

A fox would not eat a chick where it caught it.  It would carry the victim back to it's den.  Look for a raptor.

A fox will begin to pluck the chicken if it feels it is safe. I saw a fox in my backyard with one of my RIR and it was ripping out her feathers while she was still alive, about 50 ft from my back door... that's the last thing that fox did. And I had to cull my poor hen she didn't even make a sound when the fox was ripping her feathers out, that picture haunts my mind.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Quote:

That is exactly why I keep telling people that predators are not the cuddly little puffs of fur depicted on TV, but rather a cruel and cunning killer. In the case of your hen it seems likely that your fox was inexperienced in the quickest way to kill a chicken. Thankfully it won't be learning.

With a large victim a hawk almost always kills by degrees.

Good luck.

 

[crandellmisty]

We have had a hawk circling for days my best guess is it was what got it. The big girls know what it sounds like and keep an eye out for it. The babies just didn't know better yet.

 

[ZoeS95423]

That is exactly why I keep telling people that predators are not the cuddly little puffs of fur depicted on TV, but rather a cruel and cunning killer.  In the case of your hen it seems likely that your fox was inexperienced in the quickest way to kill a chicken.  Thankfully it won't be learning.

With a large victim a hawk almost always kills by degrees.

Good luck.

I get a fox almost every year, the one last year one day would take a chicken and run, leave no feathers, then the next I would have a pile of feathers from it doing that....
It didn't take long for me to figure out the exact time it was coming. So it didn't last long.
I am sure getting sick of them, but there is nothing I can do but continue to dispose of them.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I get a fox almost every year, the one last year one day would take a chicken and run, leave no feathers, then the next I would have a pile of feathers from it doing that....
It didn't take long for me to figure out the exact time it was coming.... I am sure getting sick of them, but there is nothing I can do but continue to dispose of them.

Disposal of foxes is much more preferable than stockpiling foxes. Good job.