Thank You roosterhavoc, I think tonight will be the last night to try to catch the predator on trail cam. I'm thinking I'll set it to video and then maybe we'll be able to tell more by the motions. ;)
Thanks centrarchid, this morning after tracking the footprints across the soybean field I went to let the chickens out and noticed the same footprints in the snow circling the coop. There may be more than one intruder. :(
I overlooked this on the trail cam thinking it was our dog but I measured his stride and it's about 26 inches. There are no tracks near the carcasses from my dog, only the ones mentioned previously. Does this look like something that can be identified?
No, once they're let out in the AM they are free to run, they have a couple of pine trees, an out-building, etc. to get to safety if needed. Usually one of us is here, but not all the time. When we leave we don't close them back up in the coop and run, we just leave them out. We don't supervise...
I think that by protecting my flock by closing the coop door at night and then letting them free range during the day as I should have been doing I wouldn't have had this problem. ;)
UPDATE:
Another carcass has been taken this morning. Unfortunately, My trail cam lens became snow packed, Uggghhh. But I did find some tracks that led to and from the missing carcass. I followed the incoming tracks & the outgoing tracks, they joined up in the soybean field behind my pond and...
No, it was my own laziness & lack of judgment that got 7 of my flock killed. I own that and learned a lesson, I just would like to know what did the damage. After-all...
"Predators going to predator"
UPDATE (day 2): I placed the carcasses of the 7 victims behind my barn once again last night and set up the trail cam in a new location. This morning I found a carcass missing, but unfortunately, my trail cam was aimed too high and didn't catch anything.
Tonight, I try again. Ugh...
Yes, all chickens were seen and accounted for the night before the attack by me when I gave them an evening treat of cracked corn. (I consistently count them multiple times daily as they are/were a free-ranging flock).
UPDATE:
Last night I took the seven chicken carcasses and placed them in about a 10-foot radius behind my barn and set up my trail cam. After a restless night, I checked this morning and the carcasses had not been disturbed and nothing on my trail cam. :( Should I do this another night???
PS...