brossini Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 My neighbor has/had about 30 chickens that are allowed to range freely during the day and they also spend a lot of time wandering our property. Yesterday I found one of the chickens dead in my yard with a bunch of loose feathers. I started looking around, and my neighbor was also outside, and we found nine dead chickens. There was very little blood, just the bodies and a lot of loose feathers looking like they put up a fight for whatever got them. However, none of the birds were removed or eaten. Most of them were also lying dead UNDER our trees, not necessarily in the open. We have a small type of apple tree, and some of them were under those trees with limbs close to the ground. My neighbor thinks the hawks in our area did it. I disagree; I've never seen a hawk kill like that and I've lived in the same place for 35 years. Normally they kill, remove, and eat what they have killed. I've seen the hawks with mice, small birds, and snakes. We have red tailed hawks, Coopers hawk, and, believe it or not in eastern rural Kansas, I have seen two eagles over the last 4 months. I'm wondering if anyone has seen or heard about anything like this and whether or not this is normal predatory behavior for hawks and eagles. Thank you. BTW; no, we are not contemplating doing anything to the birds of prey. Just seeking information and understanding what happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossini Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 Oh, and we also have American Kestrel , but, IMO they are too small to prey on chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Bobcats have killed our neighbors chickens many times, though I don’t know if you have them hear you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Brain Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 I agree, I've never known of Hawks just wantonly killing several chickens like that. Dogs running loose, weasels, maybe Coyotes could be responsible for this behavior, but I certainly wouldn't blame it on the Hawks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Fox, maybe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestranger Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 I'm more inclined to think a weasel might be the culprit since weasels are known to cache and hoard their food after killing it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan B Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 (edited) Definitely not a hawk, I have chickens and the time or two a hawk has taken one of the chickens they only kill one. Typically they strip all the feathers off of the chest and eat the soft breast and crop. Now with Raccoons and Opossums, that's a totally different story. They will take out your whole flock at once and not eat them. Edited April 16, 2021 by Aidan B 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Avery said: Fox, maybe That was my thought. We had a fox take several hens in one morning and at least one was just left in the yard uneaten. I've read that they will kill anything if it's easy (and fun) to catch and sometimes they kill more than they can eat. Weasels and raccoons take the heads off, but leave the rest of the bodies. Sadly, we've had that happen to our chickens as well... We've never had a hawk kill our chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 3 minutes ago, The Bird Nuts said: That was my thought. We had a fox take several hens in one morning and at least one was just left in the yard uneaten. I've read that they will kill anything if it's easy (and fun) to catch and sometimes they kill more than they can eat. Weasels and raccoons take the heads off, but leave the rest of the bodies. Sadly, we've had that happen to our chickens as well... We've never had a hawk kill our chickens. We've never had chickens, but i've heard plenty of stories of Goshawks and Fishers taking chickens, even a Barred Owl. But yeah, hawks kill what they eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 (edited) 55 minutes ago, Aidan B said: Raccoons This, Dog, or a Skunk. Of all the ducks and chickens we have tried to have just about everything has got them. Raccoons and Skunks are the only ones that killed more than they could eat. For the list of animals that have got them: Coyote( In broad daylight!), Dogs, Fox, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Barn Owl, Raccoons, and Skunks. Probably Bobcat and Opossum too. Edited April 16, 2021 by Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 I wouldn't put it past a large domestic cat. They're notorious for practicing their hunting skills but not eating the kill. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossini Posted April 16, 2021 Author Share Posted April 16, 2021 Thank you everyone! This has confirmed my thoughts. We do have raccoons, opossums, and skunks. I have never seen a weasel, but that doesn't mean we may have one somewhere as I've read they are very elusive creatures. There has been at least one bobcat sighting here, but again, have never seen one or seen tracks. Three of our neighbors have dogs in fences, but that doesn't mean they can't escape. We do have another neighbor with three feral cats. I hope I don't offend anyone, but it makes me extremely angry. They got cats at the shelter and turned them loose in their barn "to kill the mice" and let them go wherever they want to go. My biggest problem is they prey on our song birds, and it's not fair to the cats, either. I've been feeding the birds for 35 years here, and we have quite a number of different bird species, and I find them stalking around our bird feeders. But, I'm wondering if a cat is large enough to kill a full size hen? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, brossini said: I hope I don't offend anyone, but it makes me extremely angry. Don’t worry. Many of us feel the same way. BTW, welcome to Whatbird! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossini Posted April 16, 2021 Author Share Posted April 16, 2021 8 minutes ago, Seanbirds said: Don’t worry. Many of us feel the same way. BTW, welcome to Whatbird! Thank you! I have lurked for many years on this website, but this is my first post on the forum. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 3 hours ago, brossini said: I hope I don't offend anyone, but it makes me extremely angry. SAME! Our new neighbors have several outdoor cats and they wander in the field where the Bobolinks nest (AND we have another new neighbor who mows that field! ?). I feel like I can't do anything about it. Who's going to listen if I say cats should stay indoors and in catios? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossini Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 I have 4 cats myself. Once, I had 9 all at the same time! I love cats and have had them for most of my life; however, I believe they should remain indoors unless you plan to supervise their activity outside and/or build an outdoor enclosure for them. I don't know the exact statistics, but I do know they can really deplete wild bird populations. But also it's for the welfare of your cat, and the health of people who own them, to keep them inside. Can't tell you how many stray cats we've taken in and kept and/or given away or sent to shelters. It's more than 30 at this point, and it breaks my heart to see a cat dead on the highway. We also have other predators here: coyote, owls, raccoons, and possibly bobcat. Most people understand that they should not let their dogs run free and use a leash. For some reason "cat people" thinks it's just fine to open the door and just let their cat out. I will never understand it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLong Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Me who has cats who are as slow as the average tortoise and kill 1 living thing are year ( this usually means uprooting my poor plants) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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