Backyard Poultry Forum

Hi, I heard a lot of commotion from my chicken coup this morning so I rushed down there to find my silver laced Wyandotte dead on the ground against a side fence!! There was one Isa Brown outside with her. The other chickens, 1 other Isa Brown, an Australorp, a gold laced Wyandotte were inside the coup hiding. At first I thought it was a fox attack but I couldn’t find a point of entry and now I’m thinking that it might have been a fight. The Isa Brown who was outside with her has been making a strange soft growling sound. The silver laced Wyandotte used to pick on the Isa Brown. Is it possible that the Isa Brown could retaliate like this?? It’s all very disturbing and if anyone could give me an answer I would really appreciate it.

I'm sorry for your chicken loss. I'm not sure what could of happened.

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Four happy chickens started Dec 2017
Two Isa Browns and Two Australorp crosses.

Did you look for injuries? Broken neck? Blood somewhere?
Chickens don't kill each other as a general rule and the pecking order does not change easily. Unfortunate accidents can happen of course, but an attack from the outside and panic seems more likely.

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Small free-range flock of Croad Langshans
http://croadlangshan.org/

Thanks for your replies. If a fox was startled , would it leave the chicken behind?

Yes - foxes will also kill and collect later.
Where abouts are you - other predators?

No, no other predators. We’re on the Mornington Peninsula. There was blood on the ground about 50cm from the chicken.

the chook might have had a bit of a fight and had a heart attack or stroke to actually kill her. Were there any injuries?

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NellyG ........................

Dog?

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Small free-range flock of Croad Langshans
http://croadlangshan.org/

Hi,
I'm just wondering could it have been a snake. The reason I say this is that I hear my chooks manking that sound when they hear or see a snake until the snake has gone away. I lost a rooster like that quite a few years ago. I wonder whether he tried to attack the snake even through the wire. It was just a suggestion. I've had females fight pretty nasty but they always back off - never killed each other and mine are quite large birds

Lana

Oh wow, I wonder if it could have been a snake! There was blood on the ground near her.

A chicken which has died from a snake bite will typically not have rigor mortis within a few hours of death but blood on the ground would not be usual - maybe goanna, that would spook the others.

I was only offering a personal suggestion and I don't remember reading Mandadeb mentioning that it had rigor mortis only that there was blood. I didn't say that I had the answer.

Until recently I haven't been onto this site for a long time and now I know why.
I was grateful when you personally replied to my question about how breeders feed their chooks before showing because nobody else has. I thought it was great that you did because you said you showed as an amateur. Whether we are experienced or amateurs or even moderators on this site I thought this was meant to be a forum for people helping each other and giving guidance from experience if we have any.
In future if I have any advice or suggestions I will do it as a prvate message.

Lana

Do you think an eagle would try and grab a chicken?

Lana I think you misunderstood my comment. Mandadeb didn't mention Rigor Mortis. My comment was in the context that a lack of Rigor could indicate snake bite - maybe I didn't word it well enough.

An eagle will definitely try to take a chicken. The blood on the ground indicates an attack of some sort. Were there any injuries?

Sounds to me like a hawk or eagle. The birds neck is sometimes broken in the first swoop and there is no other sign of injury unless you look for punctures made by their talons.

And to answer your question I free range all my ducks and chooks and have lost birds to both wedge tail and sea eagles as well as brown and grey goshawks.

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John