Chicken/egg question

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Something killed one of my hens today while she was free ranging.

Odd part is, they didn't eat any of her. Openened her abdomen and pulled out the intestines, but didn't eat any of her.

This leaves out foxes, raccoons, and possums. I guess I will leave them in the run tomorrow. That's tricky too because I found one of my youngest is a rooster. Three roosters is too many. He is going to become chicken soup for one of my customers on Saturday. (If I can catch him as soon as they awaken). Not a very friendly chicken.
 
robinjopo said:
Something killed one of my hens today while she was free ranging.

Odd part is, they didn't eat any of her. Openened her abdomen and pulled out the intestines, but didn't eat any of her.
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Did you check to see if the liver was missing? Some predators go straight for the liver.

My guess is a weasel.
 
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Not many weasels in Tennessee, but they eat the head first. Her head was intact.

I just picked up the intestines and put them in a bag. Probably wouldn't know a liver if I saw it.
 
They are almost everywhere in the US, at least in the lower 48. Rarely seen, they keep to the bushes and stay out of sight, usually only coming out at night. We've caught them on game cams - always at night, and even then they don't come out in the open often. They are known to pull out the intestines of chickens.
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Very good info DrHenley. Another reason for NV Scope.
 
robinjopo said:
Something killed one of my hens today while she was free ranging.

Odd part is, they didn't eat any of her. Openened her abdomen and pulled out the intestines, but didn't eat any of her.

This leaves out foxes, raccoons, and possums. I guess I will leave them in the run tomorrow. That's tricky too because I found one of my youngest is a rooster. Three roosters is too many. He is going to become chicken soup for one of my customers on Saturday. (If I can catch him as soon as they awaken). Not a very friendly chicken.
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Look for puncture wounds in the back or under the wings . Could have been a hawk and it was spooked off but not big enough to carry her away .
 
Psalm7 said:
Iv had chickens killed by Hawks and they would eat a strip of breast meat or off the neck and leave the rest . Really sounds like a Cooper hawk or red tail that got Your hen .
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Mom told me that a hawk was outside earlier this week. I went out, but nothing. She was probably too heavy for a hawk to pick up. Looks like we would have heard something. At least one of my 3 wonderful guard dogs. Lol
 
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Caught the extra rooster and put him in the infirmary. (Rabbit cage in the laundry room) He will be picked up tomorrow and someone's dinner tomorrow night.
 
robinjopo said:
A hawk just had a hen pinned to the ground. I scared it away, but the hen ran away and I can't find it.

Now I'm just checking all the tree tops.
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We saved one once that the hawk had 10 ft in the air. The screaming and running startled it enough to decide to let it go. Surprised the hen didn’t have a heart attack!
 
robinjopo said:
Okay. I have a broody hen. I left her in the nesting box with her 4 eggs. Today I go look and the other ladies have been giving her eggs and now she has 12.

I'm sure its an instinctive, save the species thing.

Question for chicken people. Should I have separated her and her eggs from the other hens when she first went broody or leave her in the nesting box?

I don't need 12+ baby chicks every time a lady goes broody. I was hoping to get 4 babies to replace the ones the fox ate.
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Take the eggs and leave a golf ball in the nest. You could also just leave one egg in the best every day. You could also separate your rooster from the chickens. Your choice.
 
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