Did a hawk or eagle get one of my banties?

[hedgehog]

Here's what I found:

Blood stained snow with scattered feathers, the gizzard, comb and feet. That is, whatever took the bird apparently gutted it right there. There were no tracks to the site, but a couple wing prints in the snow. Going away from the site, there was a drag track with occasional wing prints for about 15', then a beak, then another 20' drag track, then nothing. I saw no footprints except for some large bird tracks right near the feathers. Those might be from one of my larger roosters, or maybe from a predator bird.


We live under a major migratory flyway for hawks and eagles near the eastern end of Lake Ontario, but it's awfully early for hawks to be winging through. We did spot a bald eagle a couple miles up river a week or so back.

[cali]

1. owl?

they'll go after chickens.

[hedgehog]

3. We have Great horned owls out back, too. This would have happened between

11 and 3 today, so I'm guessing not an owl. For a couple of years, we lost 1 hen to a hawk in the Spring and again in the fall. I don't know if it was the same bird chowing down on his way through or just happenstance.

Usually the birds can take cover beneath a large lilac bush, but not this time of year! I may leave the coop closed tomorrow lest this become a habit!

[panader0]

2. When I had chickens, I put wire over the top of the coop

Owls, and hawks.

[hedgehog]

4. Our birds are free range over about 5 acres right around the house and barn.

We haven't lost very many over about 20 years; a couple to hawks, one or two to foxes and about a dozen or so to dogs at various times. Huskies are the worst- they just can't resist killing chickens. There was a fox den in the thicket on the far side of the barn two summers ago, but the foxes never messed with the chickens. They stayed up in the woods on the other side of the thicket.

[wtmusic]

5. That would be a distinct possibility

Peregrine falcons have moved into my neighborhood and have been eating up the pigeons and squirrels.

[Tesha]

6. Here in my part of New England (Boston's northwest 'burbs), hawks are active all year 'round.

They don't seem to be migratory in our area; we have at least one family
of red-tailed hawks that lives on or immediately around our hilltop and
we see others all around the area constantly`.

Turkey vultures also live in our area during the summer, but I don't
think we see them during the winter.

Tesha

[LWolf]

7. I have lost chickens to redtails, peregrines, and owls.

Last year I lost 4 young birds to a peregrine and one to an owl, who I caught in the act on my way to the barn one pre-dawn morning.

I have a coop and a small yard with wire over the top, but I let them free-range. It keeps the bugs and the feed costs down.

[hedgehog]

8. The eggs from the free range birds are just plain tastier.