A Man Died After A Chicken Attack & His Daughter Is Warning Of The Dangers Of Backyard Birds
The bird had a history of violence.
Jasper Kraus. Right: A Brahma chicken.
An Irish woman is hoping her dad’s death will be a cautionary tale for those who want backyard chickens after he had a fatal encounter with one of the birds at his house last year.
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Jasper Kraus, 66, was found fatally injured at his home in Killahornia, Ireland, on April 28, 2022, and his daughter says a backyard chicken played a key role in his death.
"I want to raise awareness of the dangers of poultry, as my father got killed by one," Kraus' daughter, Virginia Guinan, told the Irish Sun newspaper on Thursday.
Kraus was born in the Netherlands and later settled in Ireland, where he was remembered as a "local character" in the newspaper after his death.
Guinan, a first responder and another witness described the details of Kraus' unusual death at an inquest this week, the Irish Examiner reports, and the story is truly stunning.
They say they showed up at the house to find Kraus bleeding out on his kitchen floor from a puncture wound on the back of his leg, which they suspect the chicken caused. Paramedics tried to save Kraus with CPR but he ultimately died at the scene, the inquest heard.
According to Guinan's testimony to the press, there was a trail of blood leading out of the kitchen and into the chicken coop behind her dad’s house, and she concluded “it must have been the chicken.”
She added that there were multiple chickens at her dad’s home, but she found blood on one bird’s claws and it was the same Brahma rooster that she said had "attacked [her] daughter before."
Corey O’Keeffe, who was a tenant at Kraus’ home, told the inquest that he was the first one on the scene after the attack. He said he woke up to the sounds of screaming and rushed in to find Kraus on the floor of the kitchen.
According to O’Keeffe, Kraus was slipping in and out of consciousness and he said only one word: “rooster.”
Brahma chickens are said to be among the more aggressive breeds of chicken, and there are plenty of backyard chicken coop guides on how to deal with an angry Brahma rooster.
Despite the attack, doctors concluded at the inquest that the chicken wasn't solely responsible for Kraus' death. The victim was a cancer survivor with heart issues, and he was also taking blood thinners. All of that, they say, likely contributed to his demise.
"It was the chicken," Guinan told the Irish Sun. "It caused a heart attack."
She added that her dad's death should serve as a warning for others who want their own urban chicken coop, "especially for people on blood thinners, elderly and children."
The Irish Examiner reports that Kraus' cause of death is being listed as "misadventure."
This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.