Topic: DEAD CHICKENS!!

[paranoid mandroid]

This afternoon a friend of mine (Chris) who helps me sometimes went down to paint the chicken coop while I was at a job interview and found one of them dead by the chicken run. The only mark on it was a small (1cm) cut on the shoulder where the wing joins its body. Chris also keep birds including chickens and he thinks that it died because of the shock of the attack.

Velcro (the cat) is not a suspect because he was inside all day long and unless he can unlock and open a door then he's not to blame.

any ideas?

[undercarriage plan]

So sorry PM, but know nowt bout chooks, but just popped up to say awww...poor thing :-[. Hope you find out soon. Try Pests and diseases? Just a thought.
Lottie

[Paulines7]

It could have been attacked by one of the other chickens or maybe a buzzard swooped down to get it and then found it was too big to carry or maybe something or someone scared it off.  I lost my bantam and small hens to buzzards and had to put netting over the runs.  They are lovely creatures though and I only wish they would make themselves useful by getting rid of the hundreds of woodpigeons that are in the field behind my house and make frequent trips to strip my brassicas.

I wouldn't have thought a cat would attack chickens.  A fox would have killed them all and beheaded them and a weasel or stoat usually attacks the rear quarters.

[loz]

hi PM

The only thing I can think of is that it died for whatever reason and the mark was caused by a carrion eater.

What protection have you got around the coop?

Loz