Disgusted and angry....

[Chicken-Boy]

I’m in northeast Wisconsin

 

[Birdsong 82]

Way far from me. What predator are frequent? I saw you said coyote. What else is frequently around?

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! This is awful!
I think it was dogs too; too many for a fox, it was a pack. What an awful mess!
I'd be ready for a return visit, with that gun, but also a game camera, my camera, and set up electric fencing ASAP to prevent recurrences. You might be able to ID these dogs and track down an owner, but likely not. Then electric fencing properly set up will protect your birds.
Again, I'm so sorry,
Mary

 

[Chicken-Boy]

I’ve seen coyote, heard wolf, seen fox. Weasel that’s about it. Also have bobcats

 

[Folly's place]

Wolves? Electric fencing, and that game camera.
I still think domestic dogs having fun...
Mary

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

so SORRY!

 

[Kessel23]

Yeah, also a terrier would not be able to catch and kill 30 free ranging birds. I breed German Shepherds and I have had one escape while I was gone and it killed 6 chickens and a duck and he was out for hours. I had two roosters, one lead a group of hens back to the coop and went inside. The German Shepherd could not fit into the chicken hole. The other Roo lead the hens out into the woods. A single dog can not keep track of so many birds and if they disappear while he is focused on killing then he will not be tracking all of them down, they are pretty good at hiding. Maybe if the terrier scared all the birds into the coop he could kill them all, but then again, if they just flew up onto the roosts he would not be able to reach them.

My best guess is a group of large dogs. But there is another option, juvenile wolves and coyotes will sometimes kill and not know that they are supposed to eat. The parents will go out to hunt and the pups go and adventure, if they have not watched the parents hunt yet then they will not understand that the animals they kill are the same things their parents puke up for them to eat. Young pups will still have the instinct to catch and kill whatever runs from them but they do not have the instinct to eat it. If you are sure you have no dogs in the area then that is the only other option I can think of for something that would kill a large number of birds and not eat them.

 

[Chicken-Boy]

I will look for more animal tracks

 

[Cyprus]

One of our amazing breeding hens was badly hurt. She managed to defend and keep all her chicks alive. Sadly we put her down.

How badly was she hurt?

 

[Kessel23]

Good luck, hopefully you can find some that are more clear.