What killed my chicken? (GRAPHIC PICTURES)

[NevilChick]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[microchick]

Thankyou, @KDOGG331.

Personally I think there is only one true defense against flying predators, and that is keeping your birds in a run and the run covered with either netting or wire. Roosters as first alert security devices are good. But roosters are noisy, boisterous and brimming with testosterone I know, I've got about 25 of the darling little tyrants. My young hens tend to be more careless and you have to admit, having something swoop down on you from above and behind isn't something you are on the look out for.

Even my younger roosters seem to be highly aware of what is going on around them, and my spring hatched Bantam cockerels, let out an alert cry when they saw me for the first time wearing a sweatshirt hoodie with the hood drawn up over my head this fall. So yep, roosters are worth their weight in gold as warning systems.

My birds are penned in a roomy run during the day but there is little cover for them to escape under in the event of an aerial assault. I've made places for them to take shelter under if they are startled or see a shadow pass over their run and I have seen my roosters herd the hens into a corner of the run, under an overhang and form a parameter around them when a vulture flew over my run once. So make sure your hens have adequate cover they can retreat under if you let them out. I dare say that even if you don't have a rooster, your surviving hens have learned a lesson the hard way and will be more alert in the future.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I'd eat a dog that got killed by something. Meat is meat.
I can understand not wanting to eat a pet, though. They still seem special.


My neighbours couldn't care less since they own roosters too, though I suppose it may be different if you live in the city.

Yeah, I might eat a dog if it was like a survival thing and I had no choice but then again, I'm not sure I could get past it and force myself so maybe I'd just eat bugs lol

But yeah, I just meant it as like she's as much of a pet to me as Gator is kind of thing.

And yeah, we have really close neighbors in the back and are the only ones with chickens except someone down the street.

Maybe. Took a bit for my flock to get really wary. The last bird I had killed by one was a Sultan that was about as bright as a piece of coal.... the others scoot out of the way quickly enough.

I want to see if they're wary but I also don't want to risk letting them out to find out

Aww I'm so very sorry for your loss. It sucks to loose a chicken

Thank you!!

There are truly only a few hawks that will go after full grown chickens, because of the size. The red tail is the largest here in the U.S. and is spread across the continent a few of the smaller species will attempt to with some success, but they look for smaller prey....bantams and small chicken breeds are more apt to suffer attacks than larger birds. There are some hawks that hunt in pairs or groups, but aren't widespread across the nation and are localized in territory. Eagles and owls take their share, but it is the great horned owl that leads the owl group and there is a significant difference in the sizes of owls, so there are just a few that can attempt to tackle something large. All birds of prey have to have room to swoop down on their prey....like a plane landing at an airport, or taking off.....they rarely will land and attack from the ground, because it isn't natural or their strength to do so....if ya disrupt the flight pattern with obstacles and they don't have a clear open shot to swoop in and out they are much less likely to even attempt to try. Most birds of prey that seek sizeable meals fly high and scan the landscape, their wings are not designed to dart between branches, limbs, trees, buildings, or obstructions....there are some species that do, but they are much smaller and would rarely try anything bigger than a squirrel. When ya look at your area that they are out in, keep these things in mind and a few strageically place obstructions can go a long way in deterring aerial attacks.

Thanks for the tips!! I think we have weird hawks because I have seen them fly through the trees a lot! But then again the tall pines don't really have branches except at the top. And I have also seen hawks fly over the trees. I once had one chase my hen through the woods! Not very far at all but still. I know it was a hawk because I looked outside and saw one sitting in a tree above the coop and then noticed all my hens were missing. And I know it chased her because I found a big pile of feathers and then a trail of a few feathers and footprints, some running/flying ones, like the chicken was trying to get away. Found her a couple hundred feet away frozen next to a big fallen pine branch at the edge of the woods. Most of the others hid in some bushes in the front yard and I coaxed them out with bread. One, May my Barred Rock, was missing a while and I was really scared but had to be somewhere. My mom called an hour or couple hours later and said she came barreling out of the woods right towards her. I guess she was scared and took longer to come out. The other one, another Orpington, was fine and no wounds but just really shaken up and of course lost a lot of feathers. I guess the hawk missed it's target? This was last summer.

Maybe I should just stop letting them out. Too many hawks.

I don't get why the hawk would follow her in the woods though after it missed the strike? Unless it didn't and she was just scared and kept running.

Our hawks are weird here though.

And unfortunately our yard is just one big open space. We have almost 3 acres and are set back in the woods so it is wiiiiiideeeee open. Of course the yard is only like an acre though but still. Wide open. And theres a condo/townhome development in tje front and regular houses on top of us in the back so our yard/woods, the cranberry bog across the street, and the pond down the street, are really the only places to hunt.

Well, if we want to get technical the pond is 2 ponds and a marsh, and there is also a large field and 2 bigger yards further down the road.

But if hawks are territorial, I imagine a hawk or pair of hawks has claimed our woods/yard and maybe the bogs and another hawk has claimed the field down the road?

The backyard is smaller though and more full of stuff so I should be able to figure something out to provide some more shelter or maybe we can plant more plants

So sorry for your loss.

Thank you!

Thankyou, @KDOGG331.

Personally I think there is only one true defense against flying predators, and that is keeping your birds in a run and the run covered with either netting or wire. Roosters as first alert security devices are good. But roosters are noisy, boisterous and brimming with testosterone I know, I've got about 25 of the darling little tyrants. My young hens tend to be more careless and you have to admit, having something swoop down on you from above and behind isn't something you are on the look out for.

Even my younger roosters seem to be highly aware of what is going on around them, and my spring hatched Bantam cockerels, let out an alert cry when they saw me for the first time wearing a sweatshirt hoodie with the hood drawn up over my head this fall. So yep, roosters are worth their weight in gold as warning systems.

My birds are penned in a roomy run during the day but there is little cover for them to escape under in the event of an aerial assault. I've made places for them to take shelter under if they are startled or see a shadow pass over their run and I have seen my roosters herd the hens into a corner of the run, under an overhang and form a parameter around them when a vulture flew over my run once. So make sure your hens have adequate cover they can retreat under if you let them out. I dare say that even if you don't have a rooster, your surviving hens have learned a lesson the hard way and will be more alert in the future.

Thanks for all the info!!

I think I might look into rooster and maybe a no crow collar or I might just hope the birds are more wary. They can usually dart into the woods but it's a question of how long that takes them so I need to provide more spaces along the way I think

 

[BantyChooks]

I want to see if they're wary but I also don't want to risk letting them out to find out

Yep, that's the tough part. I free range my birds because it's best for their health and I think a slight risk of getting eaten by something is worth it for how happy and healthy they are. It's not super dangerous in my situation, I had a hen that was 9 yrs old when I finally gave her to my neighbour. She's still kicking as far as I know. She's been free range for all except maybe two years of her life when I had wicked bad dog problems.

 

[Kiki]

I'd eat a dog that got killed by something. Meat is meat.
I can understand not wanting to eat a pet, though. They still seem special.


My neighbours couldn't care less since they own roosters too, though I suppose it may be different if you live in the city.

Excuse me.
Did I really just read this?

Don't admit to this nutball.

 

[BantyChooks]

Excuse me.
Did I really just read this?

Don't admit to this nutball.

 

[Kiki]

I am not bringing my dogs when I come to visit you, that's for sure!

 

[BantyChooks]

I am not bring my dogs when I come to visit you, that's for sure!

I wouldn't kill one for meat, but if it went kaput I might. Depends why it died. Your doggies are safe.

 

[NevilChick]

Excuse me.
Did I really just read this?

Don't admit to this nutball.

I'm just curious as to how I missed this in connection to the hawks.

 

[Kiki]

I wouldn't kill one for meat, but if it went kaput I might. Depends why it died. Your doggies are safe.

Yea right...you'd eat mine. You bears would kill them for you!
Can't trick me!