What killed my hen?

[Bocktobery 10]

Mammal varmints chew, worry, and grind up every part of the chicken so there are usually no real fragment of a hen left to examine. Hawks and owls on the other hand use their hooked beaks to tear narrow strips of still living flesh off of their victims leaving wings, feet, articulated bones, etc. so it is very very likely that a raptor of some kind is your culprit.

A predator is usually an opportunistic feeder, meaning if they see an opportunity to feed they take that opportunity, much like these fearless Masai men buffaloed 15 hungry lions out of part of their kill. Food is food regardless of who or what killed it.

here is the video
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/...=4a7f6e7c05b2fd1ac960e87509f4dbcc&action=view

I feel fairly confident it was not a bird predator. The bones are licked clean- with raptors they do peel the muscle tissue off, but they aren't clean. Also, as I said the bones are broken, crushed in some areas. And not the smaller bones, which I do believe a raptor could break, but the larger bones- they look chewed as in something with teeth had bit it in half, nibbled on it, was enjoying the marrow of it.
I do realize that a mammal would keep and eat all that it could. That is why I am perplexed. Also, the fact that parts kept showing up- something was moving this body around. My guesses for that is that something killed my hen, ate what it could then other things around finished it off? I suppose she could have been killed by a hawk initially. I had lost one of my good roos to a hawk about a week before her disappearance. I typically find their bodies though because the landscape is not really conducive to loosing a body- like such as in a field full of corn stalks, etc.

 

[Nuffy]

I feel fairly confident it was not a bird predator. The bones are licked clean- with raptors they do peel the muscle tissue off, but they aren't clean. Also, as I said the bones are broken, crushed in some areas. And not the smaller bones, which I do believe a raptor could break, but the larger bones- they look chewed as in something with teeth had bit it in half, nibbled on it, was enjoying the marrow of it.
I do realize that a mammal would keep and eat all that it could. That is why I am perplexed. Also, the fact that parts kept showing up- something was moving this body around. My guesses for that is that something killed my hen, ate what it could then other things around finished it off? I suppose she could have been killed by a hawk initially. I had lost one of my good roos to a hawk about a week before her disappearance. I typically find their bodies though because the landscape is not really conducive to loosing a body- like such as in a field full of corn stalks, etc.

You said you have cats could they have found the body parts and be dragging them back to play with. After a week it can be difficult to determine whole was the real culprits. Many others have probably been able to chew on the remains including possum and field mice. I had a bobcat attach and the wings were ripped out, it happened during the day. And it did come back, if you can lock up the girls and only let them out when you can supervise. Game cam on all the time . Predators are trying to feed their young so no time is safe. I had a fox pair come in from different sides while I was out with the girls. I located the den and had a wildlife person destroy the family, harsh but they got ten hens while I was running back and forth. I now believe have a gun and a GLD. No attacks in a year and I am sounded by woods and farm fields.

 

[happyfrenchman]

That far out from the kill (time wise you say 4 days til you found the remains... ) there have probably been other animals poking at the carcass as well. A hawk could have killed it, but a possum or coon could have/would have also gnawed on it and so it really is hard to say what did it originally. the birds all huddled up when you thought it went down.... during the day....that does sound like a raptor.

 

[Farming Feathers]

It's not a bird of prey.

 

[sourland]

As others have suggested, it can be any of a variety of predators. Fox do have a strong, musky, almost skunk like odor.

 

[Nuffy]

As others have suggested, it can be any of a variety of predators. Fox do have a strong, musky, almost skunk like odor.

Can some one pee around your property, or dog hair maybe a big dog and scatter that around.

 

[imnukensc]

There is absolutely no way to tell what killed your chicken. By the time you found pieces parts of it days later any number of critters could have feasted on it so anyone telling you it was this or that is nothing more than speculation. Sorry you lost a chicken. It's one of the hazards of free ranging. I've lost them, too, but I'm not going to stop free ranging my birds.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Can some one pee around your property, or dog hair maybe a big dog and scatter that around.

Yeah, I think I mentioned that I frequently scatter human hair clippings from my friend's beauty salon. This I think has worked very well for me, and the fact I have lots of cover (trees shurbbery) for the flock on my lawn helps also to deter the hawks so as long as my chickens are aware of a hawk's presence.

I did have someone peeing around the areas of the lawn closest to the woods, but he didn't really want to take the trek up there or get discovered urinating anymore (its not so secluded up there) LOL. I can understand that. LOL

I heard human pee only works well as a deterrent if its human male urine. I had heard that human female urine could possibly have opposite results... not sure if that's true or not- having something to do with hormones.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

There is absolutely no way to tell what killed your chicken. By the time you found pieces parts of it days later any number of critters could have feasted on it so anyone telling you it was this or that is nothing more than speculation. Sorry you lost a chicken. It's one of the hazards of free ranging. I've lost them, too, but I'm not going to stop free ranging my birds.

Yes, I've found out through the years, for sure. It's tough. I hate it, yet I don' t like to see my birds cooped up. They are used to freeranging and I can tell its very good for them health wise. They love to be outside - especially this time of year. I have been letting them out still, even though I'm very wary. I've got the game cam up now and also a trap.

I do think though, this could have possibly been a hawk attack and maybe I just could not find the body and other things got to it.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

As others have suggested, it can be any of a variety of predators. Fox do have a strong, musky, almost skunk like odor.

I do remember that day, when I was letting them out, I noticed a strange musky skunk smell coming from what seemed like under the coop itself. I remember noting it didn't exactly smell like how skunks do. We do have a lot of skunks around here though, but this scent was a tad bit different. Fox are prevalent here. I know where some holes are up in the woods. I have even witnessed my flock scaring off a fox once.