Weird Hen Murder

We have a walk in chx coop with auto door that leads into netted run. We generally leave the netted run open (through a door under the coop) so they can wake up and free range.
Our chx are totally free ranging, and we lose chickens now and then. More to our own dog than anything (he'll be fine for 6 months then kill a chicken), but commonly lose a chicken to coons and occasionally a fox or weasel.
This morning we had our favorite hen dead in the coop. The hen had skin stripped from her upper breast and ALL skin and feathers were gone from her neck and skull. It wasn't a ripped neck with bloodletting like a weasel would do, and it wasn't chewed into like a coon would do.
We are wondering what predator this could be.... and we are worried that it was maybe the other hens. This awesome hen just did the greatest broody hatching and mothering of 5 babies I've ever seen. Got them to near adulthood (and all 5 were killed by a now-dead fox and our jerk of a dog). Last chick, nearly full grown, was killed last week. The hen had been living in a small side coop raising her babies and has continued to sleep in it even after we opened it and let her and the babies roam with the flock. Last night was the first night we moved her and reintroduced her to the main coop. This morning she was dead (we think early this morning, not late last night). She was sitting on more eggs where we found her.
Do you think this kill was a weird predator, or was it the reintroduction to the main sleeping quarters.? Again... She free ranges with the other 8 chickens all day every day with no issues.
Thoughts?

This is so sad! You lose so many chickens to predators. Maybe reconsider your strategies of free ranging. Otherwise, I have no idea what it would have been that killed your hen and I am very sorry to hear that happened.

hawk or owl

Geena said:

hawk or owl

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It would reeeeeally surprise me if a hawk or owl would get into the coop. Not saying it wouldn't be possible, but they'd have to walk a significant distance like a chicken to do it. There's no flying in. I've always heard of hawks and owls killing from above with a fast smash on chickens.... is that a thing that they'd walk in and peck away the neck and head skin and feathers?

Nicole Taber said:

This is so sad! You lose so many chickens to predators. Maybe reconsider your strategies of free ranging. Otherwise, I have no idea what it would have been that killed your hen and I am very sorry to hear that happened.

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Unfortunately, free ranging is a must for us. It's healthier for the chickens, they make healthier better eggs, and they lead happier lives. They just have a higher murder rate. When they don't get murdered, they have the happiest chicken lives in the world. Honestly, if we could get rid of our dog, the chicken murder rate would drop by 70%. I love my dog, but I'm ready to find him a new home....but my kids would disown me.

Update on this... I'm now thinking it was NOT the other chickens that pecked her to death upon re-entry into the coop. I went down to check on them, and none are in the coop. They're all perched up in various places around the yard, generally in hidden areas. I think they witnessed the murder this morning and are afraid to go in now. Still don't know what the predator type is though. I'm going to sleep outside near them and try to catch the culprit (by catch, I mean shoot).

steve&kris said:

is that a thing that they'd walk in and peck away the neck and head skin and feathers?

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I don't know about owls, but hawks walk around on the ground all the time. I see them almost every day in my back field or around the pond walking around trying to roust something up.
I've never had it happen, but I've seen lots of videos where a hawk has walked into a coop or pen through the pop door. Not knowing what kind of setup you have, I don't know if that's a possibility. I was just going by the damage done, only one chicken, with stripped neck and breast meat, which is a classic raptor kill.

steve&kris said:

[...] The hen had skin stripped from her upper breast and ALL skin and feathers were gone from her neck and skull. It wasn't a ripped neck with bloodletting like a weasel would do, and it wasn't chewed into like a coon would do. [...] Thoughts?

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That sounds like a BOP to me too. They'll go for the kill at the neck and primarily eat the breast.

ashcons said:

That sounds like a BOP to me too. They'll go for the kill at the neck and primarily eat the breast.

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bummer... that's the part I was wondering about, if a BoP would pick the head and neck like that. It was weird how the whole head was bare of skin. It seems really weird that a hawk would work that far on the ground to get to the inside of the coop...but it's entirely possible that it sat in a tree and watched the chickens do it day after day until it learned itself. bummer, b/c that's the only thing I don't know how to get rid of. I have a fake owl I could put out...but don't know that that will really do much. I also have some fake crows...maybe those?

steve&kris said:

It was weird how the whole head was bare of skin.

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We've only lost one chicken to an owl. I surprised it at dusk on top of a pullet. It had stripped everything off the entire head and neck down to the bones, hadn't gotten around to the breast meat yet, I suppose.
It's very difficult to keep raptors away. I'm lucky in that my dogs will run them off if they see 'em.