So what was it? Hawk? Owl?

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

I had one too few tonight, but I found her inside the 4’ electronet enclosure. No fresh tracks around the fence at all and I can’t pick out any mammal tracks inside, but it’s a little hard to tell right around the carcass. I leave before light and get home after dark the next 2 days, so I am going to put food/water in the house and they are going to have to deal with that until I can get this sorted out.

 

[Debbie292d]

So sorry!

My guess is a large owl, or an eagle, seeing the spread it made and how it decimated your poor chicken. That looks too big of an area for a hawk to have left that track.

We get this bird netting for our strawberries that's pretty cheap. Maybe that would work?

 

[Barbours]

I had one too few tonight, but I found her inside the 4’ electronet enclosure. No fresh tracks around the fence at all and I can’t pick out any mammal tracks inside, but it’s a little hard to tell right around the carcass. I leave before light and get home after dark the next 2 days, so I am going to put food/water in the house and they are going to have to deal with that until I can get this sorted out.

Id guess large owl. Judging by the claw marks and jumping tracks it also looks like it was dragging the victim then took off. So I'd say owl.

 

[AGeese]

I've seen a great horned owl just land right by my light pole near my deck, before sundown like it wasn't scared to be there.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

GHO are allegedly here, but I have never seen one, lots of barred. I kind of figured they would stick to smaller prey. I have gone out before and seen one sitting on the food cover inside the enclosure, presumably after mice, because all the ducks were in the house with the door wide open

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

My wife spotted a big hawk while she was outside today that seemed to be hanging around close. I will guess that is my murderer.

 

[Daisy June]

I had one too few tonight, but I found her inside the 4’ electronet enclosure. No fresh tracks around the fence at all and I can’t pick out any mammal tracks inside, but it’s a little hard to tell right around the carcass. I leave before light and get home after dark the next 2 days, so I am going to put food/water in the house and they are going to have to deal with that until I can get this sorted out.

That's so sad. Yes, leaving food and water in a safe area until you return is a good idea. We have many hawks flying over our backyard recently, so I have taken to sitting in a chair outside in the middle of the yard while my chickens are out. Of course, I cannot do that all day, so they get less foraging time lately due to the prey seekers. I wonder if these hawks and such give up and go to another location if they go long enough without any luck.