Chicken Kill

[mspencer]

I've had a chicken killed this morning - sometime mid morning.

Can anyone suggest what it might be and how I deter another visit?

The carcass was laid where she'd been killed. Most of the head was left, though pretty much severed. All of the meat had been eaten from the fleshy parts. Feet were left. Basically, whatever had killed her had simply eaten the flesh from the carcass but hadnt chewed off or eaten legs, head or wings.

THe chickens are fenced in a garden alongside the house. It isnt a big garden and I cant beleive I didnt hear anything.

We live a few hundred yards from a river (SW Wales). Could it be a mink?

Im so upset, they're layers and pets and have been such characters and wonderful to keep.

Any help appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

Mink's don't tend to leave anything I believe,but,they are merciless killers that can also swim.it might have been a young fox,september is the month that the young are driven away by their mother's to fend for themselves,which is why cubbing always started in september.
if you do have mink in the area,it might be worth getting a terrier man round to see if they can catch and kill it,unless you have a gun and can shoot it.Mink if cornered will attack,also attack and kill puppies,kittens or anything they can get hold of that isn't strong enough to fight back and win.

I am sorry for your loss ,I know how gutted I woulkd feel.Not a lot of consolation but the fact that you didn't hear a sound suggests that it was very quick so painless for the hen.

 

[girlracer265]

oh my so sorry for your loss

 

[Tim]

Hi, sorry to hear you lost a chook.

I don't think it's a fox... a fox will either make a dash from cover and take one bird if there's danger around and it's out in the open - like from a hedge into a field, or get into a run / house and take one bird when it leaves but kill as many others as it can and you'd find a pile of feathers - birds that aren't taken would have broken necks / clumps of feathers taken from neck area or heads bitten off.

It sounds to me just like a bird of prey - buzzards and hawks will do this but I doubt they would take a large fowl.. they will take small growers. Carrion crows will leave a similar mark but usually peck out the eyes when killing and won't come too close to the house - I never believed they would take large birds until somebody I know started having full size Indian Runner Drakes taken from her field in the early hours of the morning before she was awake.

A dead chicken with a wound around the neck and the crop eaten, is usually a weasel.

Mink - I'm not so sure about these as I haven't seen the damage they make but in some areas they can be a problem.

Badgers - Will sometimes attack a chicken - but it is unlikely to be out in the daytime and will usually strike a coop at night, removing birds and leaving an entry / exit hole.

Personally my guess is a bird of prey. They usually hold the bird down, ripping at the back of the neck as quickly as they can to kill the bird, then stand there ripping at the flesh / breast area to feeding before leaving a carcuss with feathers around, head, feet and wings still attached. There are quite a few in SW Wales too.

As for protection - If it is a bird of prey, it's a tough one. They are of course protected and I've seen hawks knock racing pigeons out of the sky in front of me and not give up on the kill until I've been a couple of meters from them. They are very brave when hungry. A large plastic owl would probably do the trick as they won't hunt in his territory although you may find the crows attack it.

 

[mspencer]

THanks for the posts everyone.

Tim, having had time to think about it I suspect it's a buzzard and having just read your post this tallies with her carcass too I think.

The last couple of times I've cycled up the lane, a 100 yds from the house, a buzzard has taken flight from a telegraph pole which looks down to the barns - the side of the garden she was killed. I'm wondering whether the attack was an opportunity I inadvertantly created as I recently cut back the hedgerow along the side of the barn from about 6ft high to 3ft high, which gives a splendid view of the adjacent farmland... and - I now realise - an equally splendid view of my hens from the other side. This is where she was killed.

I could see the buzzard again this morning, from the garden at the side of the barn, perched on the telegraph pole facing this way.

She was attacked a couple of weeks ago (shortly after I cut back the h/row) whilst we were out. We found a couple of piles of feathers (in the very same place she was subsequently killed) and a very frightened bird. Couldnt find any marks on her. At the time I assumed it was a cat (or maybe a mink or weasel) and attached a bolt to their pop-hole door to deter an attack at night.

The hens are terrified at some (not all) loud or harsh bird calls and dash into the hen house.

I'm heading for a hardware store tomorrow to buy something to re-screen the garden at the side of the barn. Not sure this will work but if it keeps the hens out of sight, it may be a sufficient deterrent. I'll also try to get hold of a plastic owl.

Thanks again
Mark

 

[Tim]

Hi Mark,

You can buy large eagle owls and so on from shooting suppliers on the internet as they use them for attracting crows but I don't know if this will work or just attract unwanted crows.

It's a difficult problem because you can't shoot them and it's difficult to protect from the air without a roof / covering. Maybe a lean-to netting like you use in the garden / cover fruit trees with could be erected, it wouldn't need to be strong, just in the way I guess.. Alternatively perhaps a scarecrow - you'd need to move it around now and again or CD's hanging on string that catch the light.

Good Luck,

Tim