Two piles of feathers????

[ricochet]

thanks in advance for any help... So Monday we got our first egg. My husband called to let me know the good news at around 3:30 pm, which is when he let out all six pullets ( well i guess one hen and five pullets now ) to free range. I got home from work and noticed a good sized pile of feathers under one of the trees lining the driveway at around 6:30 pm. We immediately went out and counted and sure enough, one short. The other five were already in the tractor, which is unheard of (usually they come back to coop at darkish). We went looking for her and found another big pile (it looked like down and tail feathers) but no hen. We assumed she had been carried off by a predator (we have red tail hawks, a fox seen occasionally and hear coyotes at night ) since she likes to hang out by herself away from the rest of the girls. Well, today (Wednesday!! ) she showed up outside the patio door. She is missing a ton of feathers from back and tail, but we can't find any injury. We think she is in shock since she just kind of stands there and stares, but she's alive. I admit, I thought she was chicken nuggets for a fox or hawk. Couple of questions......
Any ideas of what predator it was? Is there anything I can do for her? (She is in isolation already because the other girls started pecking at her already. ). Does she stay in the dog pen away from others until she feathers back out? If something like this happens again, any suggestions on where to look for her (it bothers me to think she was out there after getting attacked for two days hiding)
I guess that's more than a few but again thanks again for any help,opinions and\or comments.

 

[BeccaSmith]

I don't have any advice, but I was shocked when you said she showed back up! My only experiences with predators (mainly foxes and coyotes) are that when I find a pile of feathers I never see the hen again.

 

[featherz]

I had two hens that escaped foxes (and several that didn't /cry) - they never stayed away long, but they were half bald when I found them again. I know it was a fox, since I saw him carrying off the other ladies that weren't so lucky. They didn't have any obvious wounds and have recovered just fine..

 

[yo burrill]

That would most likely be a hawk. They dont kill their food before starting to pluck out the feathers. Very horrible to watch and hear. Your bird is lucky it got away. I actually had a hawk come down at my chicken tractor where the babies are last night!!!! I was not 10 feet away and walking towards the coop when the **** thing dive bombed me and the run.

(The run is covered so I dont now how it could see the chicks from the air.) I couldnt believe it!!!! It was a huge hawk too. No wonder the adults have been sticking to the brush so much!!! I think the teenagers will be staying it the tractor today. I usually let them out for the day but not with that big brute flying around looking for dinner!!!!!

 

[FreeChicken!]

Sounds a bit like a fox to me. I went outside to check my chickens a couple months ago just in time to see a fox--in my front yard!--pounce on Lily, one of my White Leghorns. As I ran towards the fox, it grabbed Lily by the tail, shook her around, and ended up making a big pile of feathers. I scared the thing off, and Lily quickly fled back to the coop. Another Leghorn, Pepper, was missing, and I soon heard her shrieking behind the garage. I got over there as fast as I could, and saw the fox make another big pile of feathers before starting to carry her off. Luckily, when it saw me coming, it dropped Pepper and ran back to the woods. Luckily, Lily and Pepper were unharmed.

 

[chickortreat]

I stepped out the front door last year one morning and saw a coyote 40' from my front door, crossing the yard. I put a hollow point through her lungs and ended her ramblings. Call me what you will, but I didn't invest in my chickens to feed the local wildlife. I would not cower behind closed doors just because I knew there was a bully out front waiting to terrorize me and my family....I'd somehow convince him that it was in his best interest to leave me and mine alone. I feel the same about my dog, cats, dairy goats, or chickens. This is my land, and they have the right to range unmolested by man or beast. My chickens are Federal-ly protected at times. At other times the gun is loaded with Remington or Winchester ammo.

 

[ricochet]

My girl didn't make it. She died sometime during the night. I don't know if it was shock or if she was injured internally. She did smell really bad yesterday???

We will definitely be supervising the girls when they are outside from now on. They usually stick so close to the hous ( which is surrounded by a good 150 ft per side of flat grass) that I thought they were pretty safe from 4 footed predators, but I see from some of the replies that the wildlife gets pretty bold. I also thought the girls were too big for the red tailed hawks since they are all around 5 months old. Pretty bummed that I lost one so soon. We've only had them 2 months. Sigh......
Thanks for all the replies though. I really appreciate the input.

 

[yo burrill]

Hawks dont usually carry off their food. If the hawks can hold them down long enough to kill them they will become food. I have lost a few full grown hens to hawks. Very seldom do the foxes leave much for feathers behind here unless they dont get a good first bite on the hens. God knows I've lost enough to the foxes.

 

[featherz]

My fox attacks have always left a big pile, then a trail, of feathers.. The two hawk attacks I have left a big 'bomb' effect of feathers for lack of a better term..