What got my big hen?

[Stormy]

This happened today between 2:30pm and 5pm with temperature outside of 60 degrees, sunny clear sky.

Husband thinks Hawk because of the way the body looks.

I thought one of the neighbors cats because it looks like she put up a fight or a run because the feathers are scattered so far from the body and it was not a windy day.

What predator do you think got her?

She free-ranged with 21 others on 8 acres with wooded area surrounding the area of the driveway where we found her. Warning: Graphic pictures below.

 

[Zoomie]

Yeah... that looks like a hawk to me. Hawks will pluck out the feathers and sort of throw them around like that. I would expect a dog to kill the chicken and drop it, a coyote or fox to pick it up and disappear with it, but a hawk is a surprisingly small bird and they have to eat what they can on the ground, right where the kill occurred.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yup sure looks like hawk damage.

Wooded area is a great place for a hawk to hang out and pick a target.