Rooster Killed in Broad Daylight

[steve232]

I doubt those cats would suddenly decide to kill a chicken. However a hawk will attack and kill a chicken if it gets a chance to.

 

[Howard E]

Seems to me it would take a pretty big hawk to take down and kill a 16 week old rooster, BUT, that does seem to be what happened. I've seek hawks nab starlings and songbirds, and they pin them to the ground, then proceed to start plucking feathers to get to the flesh below. So piles of feathers in one spot is a good indication of a raptor kill. As for the size......perhaps a large hawk like a red tail, or even an eagle?

Most likely the cats were only there munching on the remains left by whatever else it was that got your rooster.

If it's any consolation, he probably died trying.........or as John Wayne once described a young soldier who had died in battle....... all the bullet holes were in the front of his uniform.

 

[Table4Six]

Eagles are big enough to carry off their prey, so I'm pretty sure it was a hawk. I had a hawk attack the biggest chicken I own, my huge buff brahma hen. Hawks don't care about the size of the chicken they will sit on the ground and eat where they killed it. And @sourland is absolutely right. Now that the hawk has found a food source it will be back. So sorry for your loss.

 

[Sara Ranch]

*hugs*

 

[4 ever Orpington]

Our 4 month old Barred Rock rooster was killed while we were in town for a bit today. There was a large amount of feathers in front of our garage, & my husband found his carcass behind the garage. We have 4 barn cats, who were eating him. The cats were raised with the chickens, so I don’t believe they would have attacked him, but I can’t guarantee that they didn’t.

It was impossible to tell what damage was from the cats, & what killed him. He was decapitated, his neck chewed on, & his breast was opened & the cats had just started on that area. He hadn’t been dead long, he wasn’t frozen yet.

Any idea what could have gotten him? There was a hawk in a tree on the other side of the property when we got home.

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Sorry for your loss. He was a handsome young man!

 

[Jucknath]

I vote hawk.

 

[Chicken Whisper101]

So sorry for your loss. I'm thinking it might of been the hawk. Yes I would keep it in a coop to keep it safe.

 

[JedJackson]

Our 4 month old Barred Rock rooster was killed while we were in town for a bit today. There was a large amount of feathers in front of our garage, & my husband found his carcass behind the garage. We have 4 barn cats, who were eating him. The cats were raised with the chickens, so I don’t believe they would have attacked him, but I can’t guarantee that they didn’t.

It was impossible to tell what damage was from the cats, & what killed him. He was decapitated, his neck chewed on, & his breast was opened & the cats had just started on that area. He hadn’t been dead long, he wasn’t frozen yet.

Any idea what could have gotten him? There was a hawk in a tree on the other side of the property when we got home.

View attachment 1238415

Bummer! I don't think it was the cats. Probably something else did it. Perhaps the hawk killed the rooster and couldn't carry it off and the cats then scared it off and took over. A hawk can easily kill a large chicken with its talons. But don't discount the possibility that something else did the deed and the hawk was there by coincidence. A dog, coyote, fox, weasel, mink, raccoon, etc. could have done it and left when the "fun" was over or because of the cats.

Also, cats will still hunt even if they're well fed. I have none now but I had two in the past that had free access to food at any time and they were the best hunters I've ever had. Squirrels, rabbits, rats, moles, mice, voles, snakes-- you name it, they caught it. It was their penchant for songbirds which bothered me and that's why I haven't gotten more. Luckily wild critters seem to do the job just as well as cats at my house and they mostly leave the birds alone.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Seems to me it would take a pretty big hawk to take down and kill a 16 week old rooster, BUT, that does seem to be what happened. I've seek hawks nab starlings and songbirds, and they pin them to the ground, then proceed to start plucking feathers to get to the flesh below. So piles of feathers in one spot is a good indication of a raptor kill. As for the size......perhaps a large hawk like a red tail, or even an eagle?

Most likely the cats were only there munching on the remains left by whatever else it was that got your rooster.

If it's any consolation, he probably died trying.........or as John Wayne once described a young soldier who had died in battle....... all the bullet holes were in the front of his uniform.

You might think it would be a large hawk, but you might be surprised.

 

[song of joy]

You might think it would be a large hawk, but you might be surprised.

Indeed. A cooper's hawk had no trouble killing a hen and 2 pullets from my flock last year. A cooper's hawk weighs less than 2 pounds, while the hen and pullets weighed 4 to 6 pounds each. A 16-week old barred rock cockerel is probably in the range of 4 to 5 pounds, as it isn't full-grown yet.