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

[roosterhavoc]

It’s a canine that did the killing and is taking your carcasses. Whether it’s a fox, coyote or your dog I don’t know. I will say you are making your problems far worse by setting out the carcasses like that.
When they’re all gone he will start picking your chickens off again during the day when you let them out to free range (if it’s a fox or coyote). In any case good luck.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Looks like coon tracks. Fox prints are not elongated like that.

This is a coyote track. They can be elongated in snow. A lot depends on how it’s walking, trotting or carrying something. Tracks look far different depending on age and the temp since snow melts. Fox tracks can look the exact same with the drag mark.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Looks like coon tracks. Fox prints are not elongated like that.

It does kind of look like that, but the other clues pretty much rule out a raccoon. What you are seeing in the picture is just the center part of the track that has melted through, there is more track encircling the dark spot, it's just difficult to see in the first image... if you look at that yard stick images you can see make out the more complete track pattern.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

https://defenders.org/fisher/basic-facts-about-fishers

that link of facts does provide some information that helps rule out a fisher... particularly the range map

 

[centrarchid]

Time to remove excess bait and begin depopulating. Make certain coop is in good shape to resist entry. Having bait out like you had likely makes weary predators easier to trap as to date have had not bad experiences.

I would be surprised if you have not had multiple visitors representing multiple species.

 

[Suzi18]

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?View attachment 1694930

Looks like a cat

 

[LulaBell]

that link of facts does provide some information that helps rule out a fisher... particularly the range map

When I first saw the map I thought that too. But the article stays they are actually further South mentioning the Appalachian region. I’m not sold that a fisher is the culprit, just one explanation.

“The fisher is found only in North America. Historically, it ranged the northern forests of Canada and the United States as well as forests in the Appalachian, Rocky and Pacific Coast Mountains. Today, fishers are found only in parts of their historic range. In the United States, they exist in portions of the Appalachian Mountains from New England south to Tennessee; northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan’s upper peninsula; northern Idaho and western Montana; and three small West Coast populations in southwestern Oregon, northwestern California, and the southern Sierra Nevada.”

 

[Kirk Williams]

What kind of dog do you have? Was it out there at 7:50pm last night?

We've got a blue heeler/German pointer mix. He wasn't out after I set up the trail cam except around midnight to potty.

 

[centrarchid]

When I first saw the map I thought that too. But the article stays they are actually further South mentioning the Appalachian region. I’m not sold that a fisher is the culprit, just one explanation.

“The fisher is found only in North America. Historically, it ranged the northern forests of Canada and the United States as well as forests in the Appalachian, Rocky and Pacific Coast Mountains. Today, fishers are found only in parts of their historic range. In the United States, they exist in portions of the Appalachian Mountains from New England south to Tennessee; northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan’s upper peninsula; northern Idaho and western Montana; and three small West Coast populations in southwestern Oregon, northwestern California, and the southern Sierra Nevada.”

See link with range contained.
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/fisher/range.html

I think I recall efforts to establish a population in the Hoosier National Forest system in southern Indiana about 30 years ago.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

When I first saw the map I thought that too. But the article stays they are actually further South mentioning the Appalachian region.

How interesting... I’d have never guessed they’d extend that far south.

And don’t I feel silly for a) not reading the article and b) because I was just commenting the other day about my state’s bobcat range map being inaccurate.