redfrock Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 When I was doing the weekly clean out this afternoon I went to the back of the garden and found a dead starling. It was a very recent kill (ie. today)and there were feathers everywhere. It definately wasn't Olly and it was in the middle of the grass pile which we put out for the chooks as they love playing in it. I have read a couple of posts about chooks getting a tad carried away but I must admit I was incredibly shocked nevertheless and being the sensitive soul that I am I found it quite upsetting too. The girls are so friendly and seem so docile (well apart from Carmen maybe who seems to be discovering an inner evil streak) that it was a total shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 Are you sure it was your chickens? couldn't have been a cat or something? my girls get quite shirty with big old wood pigeons, but they simply fly off. I wouldn't have thought they'd manage to get hold of a starling unless it was already injured Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted May 20, 2007 Author Share Posted May 20, 2007 unfortunately yes - for a couple of reasons. Our cat Ollie is very territorial and we don't get any other cats in the back garden. In the 10 yrs I have had him he has never hunted, also OH heard them squawking a fair old bit and finally where I found it - one of 'their' spots. I'm not sure how they caught it either, although the birds here seem quite brazen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Maybe it could have been killed elsewhere,picked up by a bird of prey & dropped in your garden? It just doesn't sound like chicken behavior to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Someone once posted their chickens hunted/ate a baby bird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 I found a dead young bird near the run yesterday - OH had seen it at dusk unable to fly but couldn't catch it and did not want to traumatise it. My girls had been free-ranging or a few hours and completely ignored it. Last year we had a couple of headless pigeons in their area but they just weren't interested. Maybe it was a fox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy C Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Peri killed and ate a mouse on Saturday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 If they had killed it, wouldn't they have - um - eaten it? If they catch mice and frogs, they eat them, and as we know, hens are not averse to eating feathers! funny, I don't feel like eating any tea tonight ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 We have an unexplained and rather large splatter of blood on the roosting bars and up the inside of the Eglu at the moment. None of the girls have sustained any form of injury so we can only assume that they tackled an intruder . But we have no idea what sort ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlass Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Gosh!!! I have a lot to learn about chickens...I had no idea that they would do something like this. I would have been a bit upset too even if it is nature I shall look at my little Dinosaurs in a new light form now on.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 hope i haven't upset anybody with this post - I was just incredibly shocked. I could be wrong but we don't think so. Hopefully it is just a one off. I must admit I am as confused as the rest of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Yesterday we went to a childrens farm and they had a run with a mixture of large Chooks - mainly beautiful partridge Cochins. There was one smaller bird looking a bit sickly and I went to ask the farmer was it a bantam and to say it looked frightened. When we got back to the pen all the cochins (about 5 or 6) ganged up on it and pecked it to death in seconds. There was no blood but their combined actions killed it probably by shock. Neither I nor the farmer could beleive it - very fortunately there were no "littlies" watching at the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 We have an unexplained and rather large splatter of blood on the roosting bars and up the inside of the Eglu at the moment. None of the girls have sustained any form of injury so we can only assume that they tackled an intruder . But we have no idea what sort ! I love that Kate, 'Killer Hens'... might put a sign up on my back gate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
