What ate my chicken?? :-(

[TallJ]

We lost our first grown chicken today. I couldn't find our very friendly Silver Laced Wyandotte, one of our very favorites. She and our Barred Rock are always the first to come and greet us when we go outside. The chickens free range. All I found was a pile of her feathers under an evergreen. Ironically, one of the ones they run under to seek shelter from a hawk. I don't think it was the hawk because the feathers were under the evergreen, and not IN the evergreen. What predator do I need to keep a watch for?

RIP Millie (This was a couple months ago, she had filled out to a fluffy round lady when someone found her tasty.)

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

So sorry to hear of your loss.

Not to rub salt in the wound here, but did you happen to notice if it was just clean feathers laying there? Feathers with bits of flesh/skin still attached? Or was it feathers and some parts? Knowing exactly what the feathers looked like under the bush will help determine if she was eaten there or carried away and eaten elsewhere, and that will help us to figure out what sort of predator you may be dealing with.

 

[Ladybug2001]

I am so sorry for your heartache! If I were to place a bet I would say coyote or dog, but that is based on my experiences..