I just lost my best girl to a predator. What kills but just eats the head & neck area? I suspect a raccoon but no other clues. The hawk net seems secure but I found one small area that might have been dug under the fence.
The easiest and fastest place to get the maximum fat from a chicken carcass is the neck. I have seen a raptor, a Red-Tailed hawk, attack a chicken and eat it just like that. A hawk will rapidly yank feathers out -- then consume the fatty neck REALLY fast - then leave the carcass behind if it's anywhere near human activity. Where are all the neck feathers? Were they scattered all around? (SORRY for that loss. It is very upsetting.)
I am guessing it’s probably a raccoon or hawk, not a fox though. I’ve had several fox attacks and every time the only thing that’s left is a small pile of blood with 20 feathers or so
A mammal did your bird this time. Feathers at base of neck look licked and wetted down by saliva. Feathers likely consumed which not typical of hawks. I would most likely have eaten bones as head and neck consumed.
A hawk. That’s how mine are always found after a hawk attack. The whole chicken is too heavy to carry back; so it eats the head and neck bc that’s the most nutritious part. They will be back for the rest of it....
I am so sorry for your loss and that you had to find the mangled remains of your girl. I've done it, and it's horrible. Hope everybody else stays safe.
Thanks everyone for feedback. The feathers were all around her. I never thought about the saliva thing. I have doubled up hawk net, as I lost 4 birds in a week one spring to a juvenile hawk. That’s why I was dubious about it being a raptor. I’ve captured 4 raccoons in the past 6 months, so I’m thinking raccoon.
I purchased & returned 2 trail cameras in 2020. One ended up taking specialized expensive batteries & one just didn’t work.