The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: docsal on May 28, 2018, 08:35:22 pm
-
Have been here a year now with free ranging chooks. Went down at tea-time this evening to find a young one 10 - 12 weeks old, dead. Head missing. The same one was attacked last week - we thought a buzzard. It had scratches on its head and legs. It had been in a penned of area with another the same age. We kept the wee ones in til it healed. When we let them out again they moved in with the big girls - unprompted by us. I assumed it was a flock survival thing and thought they’d be safe together.
I have been very aware of the local buzzards hovering right over us the last few days but assumed it was the usual voles and a few baby rabbits they were after. I did notice them a lot today as the swallows were dive bombing them as they hovered nearby.
Would a buzzard take a head off? Neck bones were stripped clean. No blood on the body and it looks completely intact.
I know there have been foxes in the area but no evidence of them here til now. Would a fox kill only one and leave the body? Have locked everyone in for now.........
-
Think I answered my own question - went back for another look. The neck is stripped clean to bare vertebrae. Only a bird of prey could pick bones like that!
-
How sad though, I'm having trouble with squirrels at the moment, keep getting into the coop, stealing the eggs and have to make they cant get to my newly hatched chicks !! bloomin things
-
Had similar problems with a Goshawk