What killed my Buff Brahma???

[jeepgrrl]

I'm so sorry for your loss Missing head is almost always the work of an aerial predator (hawk by day, owl by night), that said, could she have had her head outside the fence? I'm not sure what a no climb fence is. If her head was outside the fence, then it could be just about anything. Again, so sorry for your loss.

Hi! Thanks for your kind thoughts. A no climb horse fence is 2" x 4" mesh that is supposed to deter horses from stepping through it. We had it installed to contain our three huskies - they really don't like putting their paws on it and has worked well in keeping them within our property...but the spacing is big enough for mink, weasels, etc.

 

[jeepgrrl]

Hello again everyone! Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts and information. I had a better look at the "scene of the crime", as it were. I only found some feathers but no blood or Feather Feet's head. However, I did find a 3" - 5" gap under the fence where some mud had washed away, leaving the gap so anything could have breached our fence. I also inspected Feather Feet before I laid her to rest; there were no other obvious signs of trauma on her body - no claw marks, teeth/bite marks, nothing. Not to sound gruesome but where her head was detached it looked like it just popped off - no tearing or loose skin/tissue. At any rate, this weekend we will be fixing the gap. I'm also thinking of running a hot wire along the fence that borders the woods. But I think a really good dog would be most helpful, if I can find/train one to stay away from my girls! My other hens are very skittish and are staying away from that back woodsy corner (good!). I am worried that this will happen again so I will not let my guard down again. I posted a couple of pics of Feather Feet. She was a shy girl but was just starting to let me pet her. I loved it when she would run towards me - she looked like she was wearing Ugg boots. In the "Chorus Line" pic, Feather is on the far right, Lucy (New Hampshire Red) is on the left, and Gertie (Leghorn) is in the middle. Gemma (Cuckoo Marans) is in the background. Thanks again everyone for reading my post!

 

[rjohns39]

I use 3-4 hot wires on the bottom of my mobile shelters 3" off the ground and about 3" apart.

 

[jeepgrrl]

Im not certain of what predators you have around, but a missing head could be a raccoon, mink or weasel, or a horned owl.

The time of day is a little strange, but not inheard of for some especially opportunistic, brazen, or desperate predators. But most of the predators suggested are naucturnal or crepuscular.

Here's a link that you may find useful:

http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/poultry/chicken-coops-housing/what-killed-my-chicken/

Thank you for the link, uglychick! Very informative! I am going to utilize some of their suggestions.