Something killed my chick and left only the right wing - what was it?

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

While our family was on holiday, a chicken went broody, and three weekslater she hatched three chicks - a lovely white female, and dappled brown male and a cross-beaked black female. They are now 12 weeks old.

Now the lovely white and the cross-beaked black are both thriving happily - the mother still hasn't dumped them. But midday today, I went out to check on the chooks, as I have valuable Orpingtons there, and saw a wing lying on the ground. I picked it up and realised something had killed my dappled male who I was planning to keep as a stud rooster. The predator had left nothing but the wing. I looked round the pen - no feathers, no nothing. Just the wing.

Now, the neighbour lost their last chicken a couple of days ago so I am suspecting the same predator. I have seen some wild cats but they are skinny road-runners, who I didn't think were a threat. A stoat would be my first guess, but I have never seen a stoat around here. Other candidates would be ferret, hawk, rat, weasel or maybe our house cat? I dou bt the last she was good friends with my old rooster.

Pics of the wing, top and underside:

As you can see it seems to be quite a clean seperation from the body. I have never had anything like this before. I would appreciate kind advice on what would have happened. I am blocking up all holes in their coop where they sleep after I hav posted this. It probably happened last night as I don't remember seeing him when I fed and watered the birds.

Thanks.

 

[FrostRanger]

Doubt it was a cat, aside from the fact that a cat will rarely go after a full sized bird, it's unlikely they would have just left the wing. I would think maybe a possum or raccoon? Ferret isn't impossible but they usually kill multiple birds at once. Regardless, hardening the run will be an absolute must as whatever it was is likely to be back

 

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

Doubt it was a cat, aside from the fact that a cat will rarely go after a full sized bird, it's unlikely they would have just left the wing. I would think maybe a possum or raccoon? Ferret isn't impossible but they usually kill multiple birds at once. Regardless, hardening the run will be an absolute must as whatever it was is likely to be back

Furst of all, thanks. But I'm in NZ so we don't have raccoons/foxes/minks blah blah blah, we do have possums however that is a possibility. I have set my DOC 200 trap in case it is a ferret/stoat/weasel. My neighbour reckoned it was a stoat that killedhis bird a couple days ago. I am getting a cat/possum cage trap tomorrow that I will set up. I found no feathers or anything in the pen or coop except for the wing. That's it. Only the wing.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Years ago I lost a few juveniles over a few days time. All that was left behind was mostly the wings. Not just one and not a clean cut but like they were torn from the body. Only time I'd seen anything like that. I set traps and caught a large cat and then found another one on top of a pen I assume looking for a way in.
Not saying it had to be a cat but when someone finds wings that brings my back to that incident.

 

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

Years ago I lost a few juveniles over a few days time. All that was left behind was mostly the wings. Not just one and not a clean cut but like they were torn from the body. Only time I'd seen anything like that. I set traps and caught a large cat and then found another one on top of a pen I assume looking for a way in.
Not saying it had to be a cat but when someone finds wings that brings my back to that incident.

Thanks Moony, after stoat cat would be my next best guess, I did see two around my pen the other day, they ran away so fast they were a blur.