Just wondered if anyone knows whether a buzzard would prey on Silkie chickens ?? Over the last few days my friend has had 5 killed. Just a circle of white feathers remaining. :(  Definitely not the trait of a fox. They roam free in a field during the day, locked away overnight. I would've thought they were too large for a sparrowhawk to take, so maybe some other diurnal bird of prey ?
Five in a few days? Doesn't sound like a buzzard. :-\
Found this on the RSPB site on their eating habits. Don't know how big these chickens are but wonder if it dropped in then there might be noises of fear and confusion from the others.
'Food is principally small mammals, but in their absence birds, reptiles, amphibians, larger insects, and earthworms are also taken. Prey up to 500g in weight is taken by active predation, anything heavier than this is usually carrion or seriously enfeebled individuals. Gamebirds are seldom taken, even in areas where birds form an important part of the diet.
Buzzards use three main hunting techniques. They locate prey from a perch and then fly direct to the located prey, sometimes using intervening cover for a surprise attack. They often soar over open terrain, occasionally hanging in the wind or hovering before dropping on to the prey and following up the attack on the ground. They can also be seen walking or standing on the ground whilst looking for invertebrates.'
my mum lost three goslings once. the only trace being a few feathers and a smudge of blood on the side of the coop. (they were INSIDE the coop (locked in) for the night.
apparently, a stoat or ferret was the prime suspect. mainly because it had got in thru a 2" vent but also because there was no mess or noise. (foxes 'play', rats screech and leave a big mess, etc etc)
afraid i don't know what deters them tho!
Unlikely, but not impossible; I could believe one but not five unless you saw the bird hanging about. Buzzards used to be known as 'rabbit hawks' in some areas because they almost exclusively ate rabbits in the days before myxamatosis. So they will take larger prey, but they've always been blamed for a lot they didn't do, like many predators. Have you got mink about?
Thanks for the replies. Sorry, didn't really explain properly. The chicks are just bantams, so pretty small and light. My friend found one taken each day when she went to lock them up for the night. What she discovered was just feathers, as if something had plucked it clean, as a bird of prey would. :-\
We do get stoats, had one pop over the garden wall into my veggie plot !! Plus there used to be a mink farm only about 4 miles away.
I bet it was the Sparrowhawk at work again. It usually leaves a pile of feathers.
??? ??? ??? ??? ???
D'you think it would take something the size of a Bantam Carol ??
A big female might.
Oh yes it could MD!! If it can attempt a woodpigeon then a young bantam is much smaller, even smaller than a collared dove which they do eat. It will be the Sparrowhawk.
Blooming things.
It will most probably be a sparrowhawk, they take pigeons and the like..... Sad but that is wildlife.
I don't think they'd be able to carry off the body though. Normally they'll kill the bird and eat it where it falls. So you'd expect to find the eviscerated corpse.
At this moment in time, before hubby cuts the grass again!!! I have 2 little heaps of feathers belonging 2 deceased collared doves. It was the sparrowhawk!!!
Thanks for the info Carol. Seven taken now, and really there is absolutely nothing she can do to prevent it, as she firmly believes in letting her fowl roam free in her field.
Maybe the sparrowhawk is feeding chicks of her own.  :-\
Recently I heard the birds making a din in the backgarden so went out to investigate thinking that there was a cat around. I discovered a buzzard tearing away at a fledgling blackbird under the hedge.
Get something that looks like a cat like an old imitation fir collar and drape it catlike in the garden....thats what Bob Flowerdew recomends.
Ivor
sparrowhawks have no problem with going and killing in a small space, our old front garden was just 2m x 1½m and sparrowhawk got the starlings right in fornt of the window, so could well be them!
Sparrowhawks are designed to hunt round trees and bushes, ambushing prey on the ground. We've all seen how fast small birds take to the air, so they need to be very fast and very maneuverable.