We who keep free-range chickens are accustomed to surprises in the hen house. But this one has me stumped. I have a small flock (currently 4 hens and one rooster) that roam freely during the day and are locked up at night. I was gone for a few days, so they were locked up full-time with feed and water.
When I returned, all chickens were healthy and accounted for. But I spotted the remains of some dead bird on the dirt floor of the caged- in enclosure. It had slate-gray feathers, and at first I thought Robin or Catbird. But on closer inspection, it proved to be a heavily mangled American Coot, with virtually all soft tissue eaten away!
So how the heck did this happen? Was the coot hiding in the cage already when I locked the chickens in? Did it somehow squeeze in through a gap? And why was it even in there? That the chickens apparently killed and ate it is no surprise at all; chickens can be voracious carnivores given the chance, and they love carrion (roadkill is a big hazard for free-range chickens -- they go feed on it, then become it).
Bill Pulliam
Hohenwald TN
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