So if not hawks?

[kris13]

Okay, so sorry as I'm kind of not dealing with the chicken loss so well. So he mentioned (we lost ten hens) only finding two of them. The rest were just feathers and/or just gone. But the two he found weren't really mangled / no meat loss. Thoughts what truly got to them? We didn't even find feathers for four of them (based on feather color)

 

[cavemanrich]

It can be the work of a fox.
There can be 75 different explanations as how it happened. Unless there is a video of it, it is all speculation.
SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS,,,,,,,,,

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me that sounds like a dog or at least some kind of canine. I had two large dogs attack mine and lost eight. I found one body, not mangled, and two piles of feathers. There were some other feathers flying around but not in a pile. The rest just disappeared. I could also see that happening with coyote or fox, probably more than one. Maybe even a family, Mom teaching the kids to hurt.

I don't think it was a bobcat. Bobcat normally carry the remains away and try to hide them, often by burying. But I would not expect that many at a time if it were a bobcat.

I don't think it was a bird of prey. They are not going to do ten at a time. They normally don't carry them away but eat them on the spot, though they might take one back to the nest to feed chicks if it is s big bird of prey and can carry it.

It is speculation, no arguments from me on that. Just because most predators of a species act a certain way does not mean they all do. But I'm betting canine.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Possibly a coon?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You cannot discount anything. It's possible. But when did it occur? A raccoon generally does not carry them off, especially not ten. During the day when they can see it coming chickens can pretty much out-maneuver a raccoon unless they are trapped and can't get away. Raccoons are most dangerous at night when they are on the roost. It doesn't sound like a raccoon, not with eight disappearing.

 

[kris13]

We got home around five, so this was during the day. One hen survived as she is broody and was in the nesting box, the others however they survived were super spooked. Our blue cochin had a lot of feathers gone, but we couldn't find any blood / skin breakage on her. So out of the ten we lost, I think we didn't find any feathers/evidence of at least four. (Two buffs and two sussex, no feathers of theirs)

 

[Austradork1819]

Do your neighbors have a dog, or dogs?

 

[kris13]

He's checking with one of the neighbors who does.

 

[Austradork1819]

I don't imagine that being anything but dogs.

 

[keesmom]

Could be a fox that just missed a couple of the bodies when carrying them off. Or coyotes. They have young to feed this time of year, so will be out hunting at all hours. They'll kill all they can get then haul them off.