Quite a wicked view upon coming back from a weekend trip - 42 chickens laying dead all around and another 11 burried down. The chickens had a mix of broken wings and broken necks - otherwise little visual and again 11 were burried under a layer of soil inside the chicken coop. We can even find a good place for an animal to get in there - it was all closed up. Paw prints were hard to tell.
We have raccoons and bobcats around here . which one could it be? We suspect one of these two. We have fox here too.
Answers:
Sounds like a fox. A fox will go on a killing spree and it will bury what it kills, often laying it's kill in a neat little line or pile before burying it. When it kills it grabs by the neck and gives a hard shake which snaps the neck. A raccoon is too slow to kill that many in that amount of time and they do not bury food. A fox can squeeze through a very small hole and can easily go over a fence. Grays can even go up trees as well as sides of buildings to get over the top of your fence. A weasel can also do this type of killing however they are pretty messy killers. They love chewing necks and it's not unusual to see some chickens gutted by them. Doubt seriously it was a bobcat. They usually carry off their kill and bury their leftovers. Penned fowl make an easy meal for a fox or any other animal. It's also fun for them too. Call your game warden, humane society, or veterinarian and see if they have a live trap you can use. Unfortunately, the animal will have to be destroyed unless it can be released many miles away from any place with chickens or other domestic fowl. Once they start this type of killing they will not stop.
it looks like you answered your own question.
my guess would be the bob-cats
Before I even read your details, I thought a Racoon.
Coons, skunks, bobcats, dogs, coyotes, foxes.
Sorry to hear about it..
Had the same thing at my house once! Think about it, though - if it had been a bobcat or a coyote or another predator, they would've been eaten. Do you have anyone around you with a pitbull, or a couple pitbulls? They are one of the only dogs there are that will kill for fun! That's what got my chickens. In my opinion, the only thing more stupid than a pitbull is the person that would own one!
sounds like a pack animal, like wolves.
That's awful! I was going to joke "Chupacabra" before I read the details.
It sounds like it would be something large like a Bobcat, but I think that their energy usually comes in quick bursts, and I know that raccoons travel in groups, and get pretty vicious when they're in attack mode. I think it sounds like the work of raccoons, too.
its probably a drunk bum
we had heaps of ducks and one night they were all dead, a fox had gotten in an tried to get a few, too many and he got confused, they had no marks on them, they were scared to death. A fox or a bob cat!
I've heard of this. I think raccoons, bobcats and foxes just kill what they can eat. I've heard of skunks killing for fun. But never heard of such a slaughter.
We lost almost all of our chickens but it was always one or two at a time. Never like that, but I've heard of it happening.
My first guess would be the worst animal there is..MAN. I had coons, fox, coyotes and even Farrel dogs get into my coope and nothing I know of will just break heads and wings then take the time to burrie it at the kill zone. Very weird! sorry about your critters.
We had a skunk kill 72 chickens in one night,,, didn't eat them just bit their heads off. he was still there in the morning,,bloody mouth and all.. should had himself a last meal.. didn;t get a chance for another.
Hi! I live in New England and we have a weasel family member known as a FISHER CAT. It is capable of taking down a small dog or cat and a lot of folks use a Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog to defend their property against them,
That breed of dog is as big as a St Bernard, and may be a little heaver. Fisher cats, are an ever present threat in the New England area.But I don't know where you live, I don't think the bob cat or the fox would do that kind of total damage!
A Mink! Killed 60 of my ex-husbands chickens last week. They can slither in and out of holes so tiny that you could hardly believe it possible.
There are a number of animals it could be. I'd probably guess a raccoon. Raccoons are usually worst in the springtime because that is when they are having babies and lacking food. A dog, coyote, fox, or bobcat could too. Even an owl could. A skunk could even be the culprit. A oppossum normally just kills one or two.
Here's a list of what we've had get into our chickens over the years in order of most frequent to least frequent:
Dogs, raccoon, oppossum, skunk, and owl. The owl broke right through the window in the barn. So we had to put wire over the windows.
Set a live trap out and put one of the dead chickens in there along with some cat food or dog food as bait. Whatever it is will most likely come back a second time. They now know where the food is and they will keep coming back.
A Fox. These animals will single handed kill an entire coup in a matter of minuets just for the hell of it.
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