What did this???

[Happyhenz]

Hi all well my morning hjasnt gone so great.
I just went up to let my chooks out of the shed and in the chook pen i found one of my Hy-lines dead :cry:
Her head had been ripped off and she had deep wounds on her chest.

I must have missed her when i locked the girls up last night after we got back from dinner at abot 8.20pm.
Where i found this girl i definatly would have seen her if she had been killed while i was out.

There were hardly any feathers around her and little to no disturbance on the ground in the pen.
We have a very large dog but she cant get into the yard as we have 12ft fences on the outside of the hen house facing into out backyard but on the other side facing our neighbours pool yard is just a normal timber fence about 6ft high.
They dont own adog or cat.

I feel really bad as its my fault for not checking the yard for stragglers before locking up the rest of the crew :cry:

This arvo im putting hubby and mates to work covering the rest of the chook yard with wire including the roof.

Does any one no what it could have been?
My susipions tell me a cat but im not a fan of cats so maybe im bias??

Happyhenz

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
A cat wouldn't have just eaten the head.
Do you have opossums there?
You are in Oz, right?

 

[bantymum]

Hi Ciindi,
Im sorry to hear about your hen.
It sounds like an owl to me, , a fox would have taken her body.
its horrible when this happens, i once did the same thing, I didnt do a head count and lost a little hen sitting on a straw pile. then I saw an owl the next night going to that exact spot.

It wont happen again since I check them all and have a roof over the top.
I hope you dont bash yourself up too much, it will take time to get over it. be gentle on yourself
Hugs
Helen

 

[Happyhenz]

Hi Rooster-red, it had started to eat the poor girl but had chew at the head and neck and chest

We dont have Oppossums here we have possums which are herbavors(sp?) we dont have raccoons or weasels are such either which is why im thinking cat.

Cheers Happyhenz

 

[mom23chicklets]

I'm really sorry for your loss. I lost one of my pullets this morning too. Found her on the floor on her back. No blood, no sign of illness. Only 17 weeks old.

 

[Happyhenz]

Hi Helen Thanks mate.
Where my hen house is theres no way afox could get in and anyway Bundy my dog would have busted down the gate to get that bugger!
She hates foxes!
I guess it could have been an owl :|
Never thought about that one.
Like i said little to disturbance in th yard no feathers everywhere or digging after a chase.
Poor baby

Lucky the silkies where locked in their house who knows they may have been the next victims
Cheers Cyndii

 

[bantymum]

Hi Again, foxes are very quiet and sometimes a dog cannot hear them but do smell them as they stink!
An owl is very quick, quiet and good at butchering without too much mess, thats what happened to my little girl.
Perhaps the owl was disturbed and didnt get to finish off his meal. He would have decapitated to kill quickly then gone for the breast.
he didnt know she was your pet, she saw an easy meal!take care
Helen

 

[Happyhenz]

Thanks Helen.
Like i said i will be putting hubby and mates to work this arvo covering the roof.
Might sit out tonight and try to see if anything comes back tonight.

Cheers Cyndii

 

[rooster-red]

I don't know what it was, but an Owl wouldn't have chewed the head, its beak is made to rip the abdomen, where all the meaty bits are.

 

[Happyhenz]

Im still thinking cat.
If it was a housecat then it would have no need to eat the poor bird and would have killed for the thrill.
I ahte cats so maybe im just bias as i said.

Cheers Happyhenz