While hiking this morning, I came upon the scene of the heinous crime, the murder of a mother. Mrs. Hen was apparently going about the peaceful business of raising her brood when some lurking predator struck her dead. Her family terrified jumped into a wild flight, off to who knows where. Those poor orphaned poults are now homeless and vulnerable if they are not dead already.

 

What do you think killed Mrs. Hen?

 

 

Submit your best guess of the murderer in the comments.

BTW, we can hope the dead hen’s poults get adopted by another brood hen.  If poults survive the attack, they will seek out a new hen by sound and sight.  That is why turkeys are so vocal even this time of year; if you know what to listen for you will hear hens and poults calling out to each other.