What killed my hen?

[silly4buttons]

Yeah, big turd in the sky. I havent let my others out yet. There arent any leaves on the trees so they cant hide.

I know they been locked up for a month and the buttheads still hanging around. I walk passed one of the tree to get the mail and 2 flew out

 

[old chief]

It looks like mink or weasel, hawks and raccoons will devour the breast meat. As others have posted what ever it was will return lock them up tight at night.

 

[duncan5]

That is how raccoons kill. From my experience raptors do not kill that way. Probbly a young raccoon wasn't to sure what to do with it after it was dead. But, it will be back. Keep your flock safe. Good luck.

 

[chicknmania]

I've read that owls, hawks, and raccoons are most likely to eat just the head and neck of a chicken and leave the rest.

Yes, but they eat the WHOLE thing..they rip the head off, and swallow it. And leave the body. Yours is sort of a weird situation. In my experience, mink kill, and only taste..the don't eat all the meat off like that. I would agree with whoever said young raccoon.

 

[chicknmania]

"hate hawks"...really? At least hawks kill for food. They have no idea that what they are killing is your favorite pet. They're killing because they're hungry. At least they DO eat what they kill. There are several ways to deter hawks. Also, they are Federally protected, fyi, so that means you must leave them alone. Protect your birds instead with deterent methods.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... These pictures are a bit gruesome, but I would like to know from you more experienced chicken keepers what could have done this....

It was definitely the work of a raptor, most likely a chicken hawk. Notice how the skeleton is still intact and the bones are articulated. This is because hawks feed on large prey like chickens by standing on their victims to hold the chicken down then ripping out the feathers before stripping the muscle fibers off the bones.

However I do suspect that the hen has been moved because I would expect to see more down or small feathers lying about.

Raccoons on the other hand are very messy eaters and make an awful mess of any hen they kill.

Death by hawk is the most gruesome way for a hen to die because feeding by the predator often commences before the kill is made. A raptors talons are not killing weapons but tools used to restrain, control, and hold down a live chicken so the hawk can begin feeding.

 

[ChickenGeek_101]

It looks it a Dog, just the other day two of my dogs killed one of my chickens and it looks about the same.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I am thinking that a hawk did the killing and your two dogs played with the mortal remains and as a result they took the blame.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

It looks like mink or weasel, hawks and raccoons will devour the breast meat. As others have posted what ever it was will return lock them up tight at night.

Hawks don't have a prefered piece of chicken like the drumstick, thigh, or breast. A hawk will begin feeding on whatever part of the chicken that is most available or closets to him.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Yeah, big turd in the sky. I havent let my others out yet. There arent any leaves on the trees so they cant hide.

Hawks are magnificent creatures.

"Big turd in the sky" seems rather crude to me.