What killed my chicken

[Deer lane farm]

I found the chicken in the fenced in yard but not locked in the enclosed cage, the door was open because It was day. The head was still on but the neck was plucked clean. Only one or two what looked like bites from the chest. It was raining so i don't know if there were any animal tracks. The other chickens are fine.
I thought I could leave them out during the day for a bit. But I guess not. I'm so upset.

 

[HarrisOBIE]

what do you mean by the fenced in yard? was there a top where the chicken was staying? and what breed was the chicken?

 

[Deer lane farm]

No, I have the inside coop I lock up at night. Then I have the fenced in pen with a roof that I have keep them locked in all winter. Since it is light longer I tried letting them out in the fenced in pen the part with no roof. It didn't end well. Now I will keep them locked in the pen with the roof unless i am outside or the dogs are standing guard. My dogs protect them. I left them out and was not home when the intrusion took place.

 

[HarrisOBIE]

ok, i can tell you what got your chicken and how to prevent it from happening again if you can tell me the breed of the chicken it was, and how big your flock was.

 

[aart]

ok, i can tell you what got your chicken and how to prevent it from happening again if you can tell me the breed of the chicken it was, and how big your flock was.

The breed and number of chickens has nothing to do with it.


Sounds like a hawk attack to me.

 

[youngchooklover]

The breed and number of chickens has nothing to do with it.


Sounds like a hawk attack to me.

X2 Hawk.

 

[HarrisOBIE]

The breed and number of chickens has nothing to do with it.


Sounds like a hawk attack to me.

the breed defiantly has something to do with it. i want to know the breed because i want to know the size of the chicken. if the chickens is a very large chicken than hawks won't attack the chicken, hawks tend to go for smaller breeds of chickens. if you don't believe me than look it up.

 

[justplainbatty]

the breed defiantly has something to do with it. i want to know the breed because i want to know the size of the chicken. if the chickens is a very large chicken than hawks won't attack the chicken, hawks tend to go for smaller breeds of chickens. if you don't believe me than look it up.

Last year, around this same time, I had close call a hawk attack. One of my BO's managed to get to cover between some cattle panels I had leaning up against the shed. The hawk was perched on the panel, obviously trying to figure out how to get at the chicken. I chased the hawk off and retrieved a traumatized but unharmed BO, a large bird! The predators are starved and desperate this time of year. A defenseless chicken of any size is fair game! It's best to keep chickens under cover this time of year! I did not have a covered run last year but I do this year!

 

[lucycat10]

A hawk took one of my full grown Golden Comets yesterday and she was a big girl. Hawks and eagles are out trying to find food for their young. If they are desperate enough they will certainly go for a larger chicken.

 

[JJSS89]

the breed defiantly has something to do with it. i want to know the breed because i want to know the size of the chicken. if the chickens is a very large chicken than hawks won't attack the chicken, hawks tend to go for smaller breeds of chickens. if you don't believe me than look it up.

Hawks tend to go for the available food.

Sure they'd target the smaller of the bunch but when the pickings are slim, they go for full sized chickens all the time.

I had a hawk attack a jake that was 2x as big in stature as a grown chicken