Table 6.
Attacks on hens by birds of prey (BOP) filmed with camera, numbered in chronological order.
| Attack | Date & Time | Farm | Flock Age (weeks) | Bird of Prey Killing the Hen | Condition 1 of Hen Prior to Attack | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 14 November 12:16–13:17 |
9 | 40 | Accipiter gentilis | Healthy | BOP killed resisting hen in open field, close to fence. While feeding on hen, other hens were getting closer, <1 m. After 1 h, BOP left. Other hens immediately started cannibalising the killed hen. |
| 12 | 21 November 12:23–13:44 |
9 | 41 | Accipiter gentilis | Healthy | BOP killed resisting hen in open field, close to fence. After feeding on the hen for 10 min, BOP was chased away by a Buteo buteo. Within 1 h, 3 Buteo buteo were seen with the hen. More and more hens came closer to Buteo buteo feeding on the hen. After BOP left, other hens started cannibalising the killed hen. |
| 13 | 22 November 14:37–15:28 |
9 | 41 | Accipiter gentilis | Healthy | BOP killed resisting hen in open field, close to fence. After feeding on hen for 20 min, BOP was chased away by a Buteo buteo. In total, 2 Buteo buteo were seen with the hen. While Buteo buteo were feeding, other hens and magpie (Pica pica) also fed on the hen. BOPs left 1 h after the attack and other hens moved in and cannibalised the killed hen. |
| 14 | 23 November 13:11–14:28 |
9 | 42 | Accipiter gentilis | Healthy | BOP killed resisting hen in open field, close to fence. After feeding on the hen for 20 min, BOP was chased away by a Buteo buteo. While BOP was feeding, 2 hens unsuccessfully tried to chase it away, then stayed and ate blowing down feathers from the scene. More hens approached. After 1 h of feeding, BOP left and hens started cannibalising the dead hen. |
| 15 | 28 November 12:53–13:23 |
9 | 42 | Accipiter gentilis | Healthy | BOP killed resisting hen in open field, close to fence. While it was feeding from the hen, another hen tried to chase it away BOP without success. After 40 min, BOP was chased away by a Buteo buteo. |
| 16 | 29 November 13:05–13:53 |
9 | 42 | Accipiter gentilis | Healthy | BOP killed resisting hen in open field, close to fence. After feeding on the hen for approx. 1 h, BOP left on its own initiative. |
1 A hen was considered ‘healthy’ if she was displaying normal free-range behaviour (alternating standing, pecking, walking and foraging [11]) and no other behaviour or particularities were seen that would suggest the hen to be somehow impaired, diseased or weakened.