Chickens(7) Killed (no heads) w/ Carcasses Scattered in Nearby Fields

[roosterhavoc]

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 went to the opposite side of the field and into the brush. Because it is still snowing I was unable to get a good print photo. Photo of tracks below. Any ideas???

View attachment 1694770

What state or at least area of the country do you live in? Looks like a coyote or a fox but can’t really tell the size of the tracks.

 

[Chicken crossing the road]

What state or at least area of the country do you live in? Looks like a coyote or a fox but can’t really tell the size of the tracks.

I don’t see fox it looks more V shape and track is one paw right next to the other, fox should be straight line with back foot landing in the same spot as front. Least that’s what I see most often around here.

 

[Suzi18]

 

[Kirk Williams]

May I suggest you build a large run rather than coop your birds up for the rest of their lives? Or install electric fencing?

Oh, there is a run attached to the coop.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

.... fox should be straight line with back foot landing in the same spot as front.

That would be what is called a direct register ... most often at a trot... but fox and coyote both also move in what is called a side trot, that will produce a pattern like the one in the picture... as well as several other different paces or stride types.... without knowing a stride length I don't think there's much to be guessed from the picture... the fact that the carcasses are being carried off is the better clue

To the OP, if the snow sticks around, and you're interested, you can measure the distance from one track to the next as shown, and the stride length might give an indication as to which suspected critter made the tracks.

But I bet you get a picture tonight so, it might not be worth the bother. One thing though is that these tracks do rule out a derelict neighbor kid... guess I was wrong about that

 

[Kirk Williams]

What state or at least area of the country do you live in?

I'm in Southern Indiana, about 30 miles North of Louisville, KY.

 

[Kirk Williams]

Wouldn’t it be easier to just set a trap instead of feeding the wildlife?

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.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

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.

Free range while you're there, right?

There's lots of chicken eaters that will come in during the day too... hawks in particular, but owls and furry chicken eaters will too.

Keep in mind too that now that this chicken eater, has found a place with chickens to eat, it will hang around and watch for an opportunity.

I'm not telling you what to do, just some food for thought kind of a thing.

 

[Kirk Williams]

...without knowing a stride length I don't think there's much to be guessed from the picture... the fact that the carcasses are being carried off is the better clue
To the OP, if the snow sticks around, and you're interested, you can measure the distance from one track to the next as shown, and the stride length might give an indication as to which suspected critter made the tracks.
View attachment 1694859

I'm going to go out with my tape measure right now and lay it out and photo the length as you have suggested. Hope that will help.

 

[Kirk Williams]

To the OP, if the snow sticks around, and you're interested, you can measure the distance from one track to the next as shown, and the stride length might give an indication as to which suspected critter made the tracks.
View attachment 1694859

I measured a couple of different parts of the tracks and they all came up at about 19 inches (see pix).