What predator is this?

[Arztwolf]

Several days ago I came home to find my Dominique hen, named Domino, dead in the driveway. I had been away from the house from 9:40 a.m. to about 1:50 p.m., so the killing occurred in the middle of the day. The other chickens were understandably freaked out, but no others were injured or killed.

* She did not appear to have been "played with", like a domestic dog would have.
* She had her head, so no daytime skunk attack.
* Some meat was gone from her breast area.
* Puncture marks on her head, but no were else.
*Some canine looking pawprints around her carcass.

It literally looked like something killed her, ate and then left. Besides the missing meat her carcass was intact.

We do have coyotes, coywolves (coyoteXwolf), foxes, ring tailed cats, raccoons, hawks, and some form of weasel in the area. Plus a colony of feral cats. But they ignore the chickens and she was way too big and fast for a feral cat to bring down.

 

[Molpet]

could it have been a hawk that got spooked off?
http://www.backyardchickenelearning.com/how-to-tell-which-predator-is-killing-your-chickens/
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/w...ng-the-culprit-from-the-crime-scene-evidence/

 

[cluck333]

I'm sorry for your loss. Sounds like something with teeth got your hen, and then was scared off. Maybe one of the coyotes?

 

[Arztwolf]

could it have been a hawk that got spooked off?
http://www.backyardchickenelearning.com/how-to-tell-which-predator-is-killing-your-chickens/
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/w...ng-the-culprit-from-the-crime-scene-evidence/

It does sort of sound like a hawk.


Quote:
I've had several killed by coyotes, but they never come this close to the house. Where she was found was less then 20 feet from the house, plus they usually carry them off.