- Sep 26, 2013
- 30
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- 67
We had a sad predator tragedy over the weekend and are having a hard time figuring out what did the deed. Both our hens were lost. One was disappeared completely and the other was dead with its head and neck missing, but no other visible wounds. This happened during the middle of the day, so I am thinking that rules out raccoons, possums, and owls, right? We have a fully covered and secure run, with a pop door out to a larger fenced area that is open above but under cover of large trees and shrubs. So it is pretty secluded. The dead chicken was found just outside the run, and there were a million feathers inside the run. So something killed the first chicken by biting off its head, then walked through the hatch into the run to get the other chicken, which it carried off completely. Hmmmm. My wife first thought dog, but I doubt a dog would just bite the head off a chicken, plus it could not have scaled the outside fence very easily. Then she thought cat, but i doubt a cat would carry off a full grown RIR chicken while scaling a fence. What's left for a daylight suspect? Hawk? I am having a hard time picturing a hawk climbing through a pop door to get at a chicken, then dragging it back out. But obviously it had to be something. Weasel? I have never seen one around here, but I couldn't rule it out. Do they hunt in daylight? And don't they stay near water? we have no streams or running water anywhere nearby. Any best guesses out there?