What killed my chicken?

[LLL]

Hi I am a relatively new chicken owner. I got 2 chickens for my elderly mother Lucy & Ethel She really enjoyed them, they were in the house under her kitchen table all the time. We let them free range in the yard which backs up to woods. They always stayed close to the house. Last Tuesday, my Mom told me she couldn't find Lucy and it was still daylight. She didn't come home and the next day my husband found a grouping of feathers mostly shorter feathers and then a few feet away another grouping of shorter feathers. That's it! She is nowhere to be found. My question--we have a german shepherd that comes around but has not shown much interest in the past, we do have coyotes and fox and I'm sure hawks in the area too. From my description can you take a guess as to what it may have been? I appreciate your time and consideration.

 

[Kessel23]

Hawks like to pluck chickens feathers before they eat, it was probably not a fox, coyote, or german shepherd. They do not mind the feathers and when they do decide to pluck a bird there is usually clumps of skin and meat left on the tips of the feathers and the feathers remain in several small clumps. A raptor carefully removes the feathers without removing any skin or meat, the down feathers are removed, so the short ones, and raptors do not really bother with the wing and tail feathers.
Also,
i'm sorry for your unfortunate loss.

 

[sdm111]

Dogs usually leave them intact they kill for the thrill birds of prey usually eat the crop and breast out and leave the rest fox kill and take it off leaving feather piles don’t know about coyotes

 

[LLL]

Hawks like to pluck chickens feathers before they eat, it was probably not a fox, coyote, or german shepherd. They do not mind the feathers and when they do decide to pluck a bird there is usually clumps of skin and meat left on the tips of the feathers and the feathers remain in several small clumps. A raptor carefully removes the feathers without removing any skin or meat, the down feathers are removed, so the short ones, and raptors do not really bother with the wing and tail feathers.
Also,
i'm sorry for your unfortunate loss.

Thank you so much for the reply. That makes sense. I just hope it was a quick death as I am heartbroken. I never thought I would be so upset by the death of chicken! I will also put one more question out. Should I get another companion for the one that is left alone? I've heard pros and cons. Thanks again, I really appreciate the support.

 

[Kessel23]

Should I get another companion for the one that is left alone? I've heard pros and cons. Thanks again, I really appreciate the support.

What breed of chicken do you have right now? If it is a breed of chicken that commonly goes broody you could wait for her to go broody and then buy some hatching eggs for her to set on. Or you could buy another adult hen for her to be friends with. Also, you could by a few chicks and raise them separately from her and then introduce them as adults. The easiest and most fun way would be to let her go broody, that way she is nice to the chicks and she will raise them and protect them until they are adults, it is really fun to have broody hens hatch out chicks. The second best would be another adult hen, they might fight over dominance at first but they will get used to each other pretty fast. The hardest one would be new chicks, hens are mean to smaller chickens and they would not form a friendly relationship until the chicks were adults, at 5 months or more depending on breed. And until the new chicks were older they would need to be kept away from the hen.

 

[LLL]

What breed of chicken do you have right now? If it is a breed of chicken that commonly goes broody you could wait for her to go broody and then buy some hatching eggs for her to set on. Or you could buy another adult hen for her to be friends with. Also, you could by a few chicks and raise them separately from her and then introduce them as adults. The easiest and most fun way would be to let her go broody, that way she is nice to the chicks and she will raise them and protect them until they are adults, it is really fun to have broody hens hatch out chicks. The second best would be another adult hen, they might fight over dominance at first but they will get used to each other pretty fast. The hardest one would be new chicks, hens are mean to smaller chickens and they would not form a friendly relationship until the chicks were adults, at 5 months or more depending on breed. And until the new chicks were older they would need to be kept away from the hen.

 

[LLL]

She is an "Easter Egger". Since we are new to this I'm leaning towards another adult hen. This is so helpful, thank you very much.

 

[Kessel23]

She is an "Easter Egger". Since we are new to this I'm leaning towards another adult hen. This is so helpful, thank you very much.

Ok, I don't think EE go broody often, stick with the adult hen idea

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYC! So glad you joined us even if the reason is a sad one. So sorry you lost one of the pair your mom had. There are so many predators that like chicken dinners. Any time you allow them to "free range" (not protected inside an enclosure), there's always that chance. Chickens are flock animals and really do best with a companion (or more). I'd recommend an adult bird since the situation leads me to believe more than 2 birds wouldn't be wanted.

There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

Oh, if you haven't done so already, PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. Old folks like me will never remember from this thread. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!

 

[Bonniebooboo]

Ok, I don't think EE go broody often, stick with the adult hen idea

x2. My EE's are now 5 yrs old and none have ever gone broody. So that could be a long wait for chicks.