My mom woke me up yesterday and told me something had gotten my hen and her chicks. This hen ran off about 2 months ago and came back with 3 chicks. All turned out to be little cockerals, but Im a sucker and let they stay. Ever since they hatched, she would not take them into the coop. She would vanish with them every night when the sun went down and show up the next morning. Well I went out and found one chick in the front yard and it was dead, no marks on it at all, just dead. I went out back and found this....
*BTW: They are naked necks, not plucked*
His breast & wings were torn cleanly off of his body. The breast was plucked and was perfectly clean. Nothing was eaten, the breast was just torn off and the innards were pulled out and laying there, but still attached. Here is the breast & wings...
Now the momma was destroyed. She was eaten pretty badly and her leg bones were completely chewed off. Her legs were hanging on by a few pieces of skin. She was really destroyed. She was a very very fierce mother so Im sure she was defending her babies. It seems like her body was twisted in all sorts of directions and torn/chewed apart. Her feathers were pretty scattered as well, throughout the yard. But that could have been from a struggle.
Here you can see her leg laying on her body, it was just attached by some skin. The bone had been chewed completely in half.
Im thinking maybe a possum or coon because of how the breast was completely seperated so cleanly. We have plenty of possums, and Im sure we have enough coons as well.
This gal was sent to me, along with 9 more other NN pullets from a great BYC buddy. She was my last one and Im pretty upset to see this happen to her. Now my main concern is my other birds. Thanks.
*BTW: They are naked necks, not plucked*
His breast & wings were torn cleanly off of his body. The breast was plucked and was perfectly clean. Nothing was eaten, the breast was just torn off and the innards were pulled out and laying there, but still attached. Here is the breast & wings...
Now the momma was destroyed. She was eaten pretty badly and her leg bones were completely chewed off. Her legs were hanging on by a few pieces of skin. She was really destroyed. She was a very very fierce mother so Im sure she was defending her babies. It seems like her body was twisted in all sorts of directions and torn/chewed apart. Her feathers were pretty scattered as well, throughout the yard. But that could have been from a struggle.
Here you can see her leg laying on her body, it was just attached by some skin. The bone had been chewed completely in half.
Im thinking maybe a possum or coon because of how the breast was completely seperated so cleanly. We have plenty of possums, and Im sure we have enough coons as well.
This gal was sent to me, along with 9 more other NN pullets from a great BYC buddy. She was my last one and Im pretty upset to see this happen to her. Now my main concern is my other birds. Thanks.
