RIP, Paris-- honest question about chicken bullying and predators

[WyoChick1]

A year ago I gave a bullied chicken (Paris, a Salmon Faverolles) to a friend. Her smaller and younger flock also picked on Paris and they spent a year separating bullies and victims, etc. and giving Paris the best life they could. Today, Paris was found missing. All that was left were her wings. Literally nothing else-- no feet, no bones, nothing except lots of feathers, and two wings. Is this really what chickens do when they finish off a bullied hen? Or does my friend need to worry about a racoon or some other type of predator? Whatever happened, it took place in a matter of minutes, and we are all stumped and shaken. I'm glad Paris is at rest now and no longer bullied, but we are all really confused as to what might have happened in her last moments.

 

[AinaWGSD]

That honestly sounds like a predator attack to me.

 

[WyoChick1]

What kind of predator? It was so fast and no sign of anything. I'm worried about the rest of her flock. Her sweet teen daughter loves these chickens so much! I hope nothing else happens.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Without seeing your friend's set up there's no way to guess. Almost everything will eat chickens if they have the chance.

 

[StarOnFire59]

A year ago I gave a bullied chicken (Paris, a Salmon Faverolles) to a friend. Her smaller and younger flock also picked on Paris and they spent a year separating bullies and victims, etc. and giving Paris the best life they could. Today, Paris was found missing. All that was left were her wings. Literally nothing else-- no feet, no bones, nothing except lots of feathers, and two wings. Is this really what chickens do when they finish off a bullied hen? Or does my friend need to worry about a racoon or some other type of predator? Whatever happened, it took place in a matter of minutes, and we are all stumped and shaken. I'm glad Paris is at rest now and no longer bullied, but we are all really confused as to what might have happened in her last moments.

So very sad!!!

 

[SamLockwood]

Unless you've got a LOT of birds and they're severely malnourished, they're not going to be able to kill and strip an adult chicken that quickly.

Without knowing anything about where the attack happened it's hard to say. If she was killed out in the open it could be virtually anything, if it happened in some sort of an enclosure with the top covered than it would narrow things down considerably.

Also, are you sure it went down that quickly? If the bird was an outcast it's entirely possible she was killed earlier and the commotion was the rest of the flock finding her remains.

Generally if it's something big and fast, like a coyote or a bobcat, there's only a few feathers left behind and they take their kill somewhere safe to eat.

Smaller predators tend to feast at or near the kill-site and leave a bit of a mess. I've seen hawks even form a tent with their wings while they feed, and they tend to blend in well enough they're actually pretty hard to see until you're almost on top of them.

 

[ChickenChick46]

I'm sorry about Paris.

I'm not sure if this may help, as I'm very new to chickens and haven't been through anything like this. But before we moved, I had many bird feeders in my yard for wild birds, and we also had many hawks in the area.

When the hawks would get a bird, it was obvious. They left behind a lot of feathers. I will say that I don't recall ever seeing parts of birds left behind, just feathers I could pick up by the handful. I know cats will leave behind parts sometimes, but again, that's yard birds, not chickens. Big size difference in a starling and a full-grown standard chicken. We have many stray cats around, and my neighbor has had chickens for years. The cats don't seem to bother them. I guess full-grown chickens aren't an easy mark for a typical cat.

Someone else asked about the area she was in, covered or open. That'll play a big part in trying to figure out what happened. And another mentioned timing. Like was it possible it happened earlier than they thought, or was it actually right then. If it truly happened that quickly, I would think overhead predator. They can swoop in before you know it or can react.

I hope you figure it out and can get some closure!