[Small Farmer]

Last year we found a dead chicken in the orchard and put it down as an unexplained death.  A week later we found another but with clear marks of an attack.  We thought it was a daytime fox visit from a youngster who'd failed to get the body over the fence (it's electrified on top)


We routinely see Red Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels and Sparrow Hawks here plus occasional Barn and Tawny Owls so we're not exactly short of trained killers.  This spring with the orchard being a bit late to leaf-up we noticed that the chickens are scared of the Kites.  Any sign of one and they bolt for cover. 


Yesterday we found a freshly killed rabbit in one of the paddocks at 1800.  We don't see daytime foxes here at all so I'm wondering if the Kites are responsible.  It was quite a chunky rabbit

[in the hills]

Spoke to an RSPB person about kites. He said that they wouldn't take live prey and explained that they weren't strong birds and would find it difficult to rip open an intact carcass, even. Also too weak to carry off a carcass.    Sure other people will have different opinions.
 
I have been told by several people locally that buzzards will take chickens if they are hungry enough and that they have actually seen them do this.
 
As yet, the buzzards, kites, kestrel or sparrowhawks have not taken any of my poultry. The cockerels make their special call and all the hens run for the hedges. We look up and you can guarantee there's a bird of prey overhead. 

[sabrina]

It was a buzzard that took my Indian Runner duckling, she was about 5 months old but small, friend has lost a few bantams to them.

[omnipeasant]

I agree with in the hills about Kites. They only pick up small peices of meat and have to wait until the crows have started to open a carcass before they can feed. Buzzards can pick up small birds so I would be worried about chicks and small pullets, but I saw one struggle to carry a baby crow. My money would be on a raven or a fox .

Chickens will be scared of anything that flies overhead insticntively.