A Raven Beheaded My Chicks

[Lavonne]

I looked at the thread for ravens. In it were some photos comparing crows and ravens. This was definitely a raven I saw. I also read about others' experiences with ravens. I am convinced that the raven did this. If they are aggressive enough to attack sheep, then why would one hesitate to attack chicks? Since I saw a raven there, it only solidifies it as the culprit. It seems unlikely a ground predator would have been so brazen to attack it in daylight hours with my dogs nearby - especially since there were no feathers on the ground to signify a "chasing." Given the lack of feathers, it would make sense that whatever did it essentially dropped from the sky in its attack. Guilty raven.

 

[hayjade]

Believe me...it was a raven!! I had the same exact thing happen. I was in the house just 15 minutes, i had let the little guys out into the yard for the very first time and when I came back 2 had been beheaded!! I believe i must have interrupted the attack and that they would have come back for the rest later. I hate those things. There is a point when the chicken becomes too big. Once I saw one ofter my teenage leghorn...a bit too big to behead but the raven was chasing the leghorn around the yard pulling out its feathers....oh yes...its ravens alright....the bast****!!!

 

[Emzyyy]

Ive heard of them killing and eating wild birds and THEIR chicks but never chickens?!

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Ravens are nasty birds! Just MEAN! I used to think crows were a "big black bird" until I moved to Alaska and saw my first Raven! WOAH! They are HUGE and will take your dog, your cat, your chickens, your kids if they could figure out how!

 

[Laskaland]

My cats have always been really good around my chickens. That is until my cat had her first litter of kittens. She began to bit the heads off my chicks, and leave the body behind in a very similar fashion to what you have described. The chicks would poke their head out the wire and get their heads snagged, and as you have heard "run around like a chicken with their head cut of..." well, you get the idea.
If you have any farm cats you might wanna check their whiskers for blood. My cats were raised right with the chickens, but I think having babies changed the cat?? Dunno.
Sorry for your loss, I lost 10 bantams to her in a matter of minutes- only knew b/c her face was covered in blood, and she only could get the head (body stayed in the wire cage)
Christina

 

[Emzyyy]

 

[socks]

Sorry to hear about your horrible experience!
I've always liked Ravens as they make a wonderful sound like running water as they fly overhead and are a favoured creature in local native folklore (known for their intelligence and being tricksters) but I will certainly view them as a predator now whereas I was only worried about hawks and eagles and raccoons and weasels and feral cats ....oh my!!

Everyone has been telling us to make sure they are protected from above and that 'everything likes to eat chicken' so sorry you ended up being a lesson for the rest of us and hope you still have a good bunch of chicks left.

 

[Lavonne]

Wow. You guys are all so nice. Thanks to all of you who responded and gave me more information.

I still have 31 chicks left, but I plan to get a few more. The ones I bought are un-sexed Heritage, so I'm expecting some roosters, which I will need to get rid of. I'll keep one. They will be allowed to run all over a few fenced in acres - after they get bigger. The netting for a smaller section should be finished today. Yay! I hate seeing the Raven circling around my house now, because I see it as big black killer. My husband wants to find a way to get ride of it - but Ravens are so smart. I had chickens years ago, and I never cared before when Ravens or Crows hung around because I thought they just wanted leftover grain and feed, but I certainly do now! Yuck!

As far as the cat theory goes, I don't have one. My dogs keep away any that might wander over. We live on 15 acres, and I've only seen one stray in ten years. So that's probably not a possibility.

Does anyone have an opinion on Heritage chickens? I've been reading what I can find, but it hasn't been too much. Maybe I should put a new topic in the breeds forum...

Thanks again.

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:
Hi Lavonne!
Heritage chickens aren't a "breed" per se, they are just the original/old fashioned breeds. They are hardly and usually serve a dual purpose of egg laying and meat.
What breeds are you considering? I would recommend the Orpington and Plymouth Rocks.

 

[BlackBart]

Ravens killed and ate two of my young pullets this year. They have never done that before. The first pullet, I caught them in the act of eating and the second, all I found was feathers and a picked clean leg bone

I didn't want to kill the Ravens, they are doing what comes naturally to them, so I got a slingshot and it did the job. They didn't like stones flying their way. They took off and haven't landed in my yard since.
Now when I do my chores I keep the slingshot in my back pocket and some stones in my front pocket.