A friend has a predator

[Zahboo]

I will try to get more details but she is from my school and her entire flock was wiped out. All were standard chickens and all 75+ were killed (this makes me say dog) The way they were killed varyed, some were gutted, some had no head, some just were limp with no visible injuries. She has something knock over her brooders and kill all her chicks. No foot prints or hairs have been found. She has hardware cloth the bottom 3' and on the top half is chicken wire. She said all wire was intact and there are tops covering majority of the top (not sure how much majority is) Lives in NC and our county doesn't have skunks. Any ideas?

 

[UltraMegaChicken_5000]

I hate dogs.... just had to say that because I really do. So much senseless killing of livestock...

 

[Zahboo]

Do it's pretty confident it's dogs? Her dogs are running around during the day, not at night though. I don't know what to suggest to her.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I don't think it was a dog only because you said all the wire is intact. How could the dog have gotten in. If the whole place was not secure, a coon can climb right to the top and go in and kill whatever moves.

 

[brendapa]

No heads and gutted is not a dog, cat or fox.

Coon or Possum. or weasel, or mink...

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Quote:
I was thinking the same thing...how did the dog get in???

 

[Papadavid]

Possibly racoons. They will kill chickens just for the sake of killing them. They killed 7 of mine and left them scattered in the field after they drug them from the barn and the results were like what you described.

 

[Papadavid]

just deleting my duplicate uh oh.

 

[nzpouter]

75 in how many days???

 

[Zahboo]

She said over the weekend so I'm guessing 2-3. That's what got me. She does live in a heavily wooded area though.