WARNING: GRAPHIC PICS!!! HELP!!! Something Killed My Guinea!! Can't Figure Out What...

[Gallus Sapien]

The reason this is not a hawk is.as.follows. Hawks never eat the head there would not be those holes in its body as a hawk kills by squeezing the head and the colour of the guinea fowl works.the.sMe.as barred colouring on chickens. It breaks up the shape of.the bird so.a.hawk will not attack.

The head was not eaten

 

[mohawkbrian]

Where is it then

 

[littleoak]

I think raptor (hawk or owl).

Reasons
1) time of day not typical for raccoon
2) birds plucked without slobbery looking (also not typical of raccoon)
3) Larger bones not consumed as typical of most larger mammals
4) Muscle looks torn from body (raptors do this most)
5) Mammals of raccoon size and larger tend to dissarticulate prey as consumed
6) Coyote / bobcat / fox would cache parts not consumed immediately so not likely any of those

This is completely correct. I have had a few hawk attacks over the years and all have left the same damage. There are some thoughts posted about other predators killing in this manner, but in my experience, they are incorrect. Quit thinking about other predators and try to protect against hawks. The problem with a hawk is it will return when it is hungry. This sometime takes a few days. Good luck

 

[RockerHen]

Where is it then

Picture number 4

 

[RockerHen]

The reason this is not a hawk is.as.follows. Hawks never eat the head there would not be those holes in its body as a hawk kills by squeezing the head and the colour of the guinea fowl works.the.sMe.as barred colouring on chickens. It breaks up the shape of.the bird so.a.hawk will not attack.

The barred coloration helps with hiding from predators, but in no way makes a bird somehow immune from attack. I've had plenty of barred birds killed and eaten by hawks. Last month I lost a Cuckoo Marans pullet to a hawk.

 

[sourland]

The barred coloration helps with hiding from predators, but in no way makes a bird somehow immune from attack. I've had plenty of barred birds killed and eaten by hawks.

Given enough time and return visits a hawk also will eat the entire bird including the head. Certain raptors eat the head first as the brain is particularly rich in nutrition.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Your statement brought back a memory from the early '80's during my first few years of raising fowl...

I doubt that any raptor kills by crushing the skull of its victim.
Some time in the 90s my lunch was interrupted by a flock of crows going ape. I went out into the front yard but the action was across two fences and the road where my barn was. As I retraced my steps I grabbed my rifle. After going through the house and following the first fence I spotted the trouble. About a dozen crows were harassing a red tailed hawk who was fighting the crows off with one foot while he ruthlessly chocked the life out of one of my chickens with the other foot.

When I shouldered the rifle the hawk took wing, abandoning his chicken dinner. The red tail lit in the top of a large snag about 200 yards away. Not wishing to risk a crippling shot over a yard hatched Pyle I sighted about 20 feet below the hawk and fired. A nice "ka thunk" came back to my ears when the bullet hit the dead tree. Needless to say this "near" miss caused the hawk to fly again. I watched him soar in tight circles as he gained altitude. A hawk's screaming caused me to look directly overhead. The red tail's mate was coming down to share in his chicken feast or else to upbraid him for not bringing home the bacon. I watched as they met and soared higher and higher, finally going out of sight.

I then turned my attention to the Pyle stag who had been laying on the ground in the "head" crushing grip of a red tail hawk for 15 minutes. While I watched he began to move, then he turned over on his belly and finally he stood up and staggered off to take shelter in the barn. When I fed my chickens that evening the Pyle was chasing hens like nothing had ever happened, even though he looked the worst for ware.

 

[chathound]

what killed your guinea was not a hawk
i am a state and fedral permited master falconer for 30 years and i have watched my falcon and hawks kill and eat feral pigeons they will not eat the lower jaw they go straight to the heart liver and breast meat from what i see it look like a house cat or dog and if you leave it there a hawk will come and eat off of it
they are opportunist and if they can find food just laying there it will go for it
they are lazy by nature and hunt just to survive
and i dont blame them heck if a cake was left on the table at the house i would watch it for a few minutes and if noone gets it its far game
a hawk has two modes
one to be a hunter and the other is scavanger alot of time people see hawk sitting in a tree and they automatically think its looking to attact thier chickens when most of the time they are sitting in the tree to get warmed up they dont live in a heated or cooled house like we do
they have a place on earth with out them this world would be a very stinky and fly and maggot filled place
and yes i do know hawk and owls do kill and eat chickens and guineas
i myself have lost a few birds to them but most of the ones they get are weak or sick it is very hard for a hawk to take a healthy chicken especially a grown guinea
a guinea is very hard to take down they fight till the bitter end
the hawk that will try to take young chicken is a coopers hawk or a sharp shinne but a fulll grown bird it is no problem for a house cat or dog
i would have to say it was one of those two not a bird of pray

 

[sourland]

Here when the Coopers kill my Birmingham rollers, first they 'pluck' feathers then they eat some of the breast and then they eat the entire head.

 

[theoldchick]

In my neck of the woods the barred owl leaves the head and wings behind. He/she also nailed a cat who must of gotten to close to the owl nest this spring. Or maybe something else killed the cat and I happen to walk upon the owl scavenging. I've also seen this owl go after red-tailed hawks who encroach what must be his/her territory. I recently found a carcass of a juvenile red hawk which consisted of head and wings. And I also come across carcasses of blue jays and mocking birds of which only the feathers and crop was left behind. The things you find when you walk in the woods.