what would kill 8 chickens in 1 day????

[thowe]

I have had day time free range chickens for 3 -4 years. Came home from work to find feathers EVERYWHERE. Followed a trail of feathers (BIG cochan roo) into the woods to find his body with no head. My husband searched the woods for more, but found nothing. Day later one chicken showed up hurt very bad. What would kill hurt 8 chickens in1 day?
I have only seen woodchuck in yard. What should I be on the lookout for? Chickens now locked up.

Thanks Tisha

 

[gavinandallison]

Racoon..... or fox....... Sorry for your loss..............

 

[ranchhand]

My first though, given the carnage, was dog(s). But it could be a fox with kits, raccoons with babies, any number of things. I have had to pretty much quit all free ranging here in SC, because we have a lot more predators this year. They come looking for water and find a chicken buffet.

So sorry for the loss of your chickens.

 

[thowe]

Do they eat one at a time? Are they really that hungry?

 

[woodmort]

Not the woodchuck--he's a vegetarian. My money is on dogs they tend to kill indiscriminately.

 

[patman75]

Dog, maybe a fox

 

[Moochie]

Hungry traveling hermits.

With the missing head I'd think raccoon? But 8 in one day.. Not sure.

 

[RHRanch]

Possibly a dog, especially if most of the bodies were left where they were killed. If they were all taken away, then it could be coyote or fox

 

[goosemama]

We had the same happen to us but INSIDE the henhouse this weekend when the auto door didn't go down. Feathers everywhere, 3 dead hens with heads bitten and insides ripped out and about 8 more carried off. Am pretty sure it was raccoons because we had been catching them in a live trap on our deck all summer. I wondered about coyotes because we have a 5 foot fence and most of our losses were in daylight hours. Last night my hubby waited up knowing whatever killed them would be back for more. He shot 3 raccoons in one night. The door has been fixed but my beautiful flock is decimated. In one night they took 3 Buff Orpingtons (only l year old)5 Golden Comets, 1 mature Guinea hen & 2 young roosters destined for the freezer. I am so mad because I didn't check to see the door was down at sundown (my fault) and also that they carried off so many and still left 3 dead just for the fun of killing. Found some tail feathers and a bit of skin in the backyard so they scaled that fence carrying a mature hen with no problem!! Sad part is we have already bought an electric poultry fence but haven't had time to hook it up yet. ARGHGHGHGHGH!!!

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
from other posts here it seems like you all have fisher up your way normally a fox will take the bird away a coon will eat some and return you may have several different predators it is harder to pin it on one when this happens looking for tracks where the bird is found would help a lot