was it a dog or a fox?

[wcah]

Last night something dug under my chicken run and massicared 15, 3 month old chickens and 3, 3 month old duckings, 2 duckings were too badly damaged so had to get rid, 1 ducks got a broken wing and were having it amputated today, 1 duckling has bad mauling on its back which should repair.1 chick is untouched. There was 2 holes dug under the coop, all birds were just randamley maulled to death mainly on there backs, not one was half eatten, would this be a fox or a domestic dog? I thought foxes ripped there heads off an pull there feathers off? Theres wasnt many feathers laying about either. What do you guys think it was. It must have happened around 1-2 am as i went out to them at 5.30am and they had gone fairly stiff. Please advise.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

I'm gonna say dog, when our fox kills it he kills for food. Sounds like a dog having fun killing things.
So sorry or your losses

 

[wcah]

Well just heard back from the vet, he has managed to set and splint its wing an he thinks it will work out fine. Going to pick it up late afternoon,so will see how iv to look after it then.

 

[Ntsees]

My experience with foxes is that they are efficient killers and they leave little evidence (feathers) and there are no "wounded" birds. Dogs and cats leave piles of feathers and sometimes wounded birds.

 

[Clucksworth]

I would guess that it has been a dog, when a fox kills it will kill everything. A fox may take maybe one or two chicks/chickens away but they would definitely take away a meal. A dog would just kill because it was having fun ( as CochinBrahmaLover stated earlier). If you don't mind me asking, how large were the holes that were dug?
As recently badgers have been the worst chickens killing culprits, I sell chickens in Somerset and many have come to me to restock after loosing their chickens to badgers. Unfortunately badgers will dig under fences and aren't bothered by electric fences either. They are also known for killing chickens and not eating them. Have you considered that a badger may have killed the chickens? They are much better diggers than dog and foxes, and they are more likely to dig for a meal than either a fox or a dog.

Hope this helps, I'm sorry you have lost so many chickens. We also had a chicken massacre the other month when a mink came and took some of my chicks :/

 

[wcah]

I would guess that it has been a dog, when a fox kills it will kill everything. A fox may take maybe one or two chicks/chickens away but they would definitely take away a meal. A dog would just kill because it was having fun ( as CochinBrahmaLover stated earlier). If you don't mind me asking, how large were the holes that were dug?
As recently badgers have been the worst chickens killing culprits, I sell chickens in Somerset and many have come to me to restock after loosing their chickens to badgers. Unfortunately badgers will dig under fences and aren't bothered by electric fences either. They are also known for killing chickens and not eating them. Have you considered that a badger may have killed the chickens? They are much better diggers than dog and foxes, and they are more likely to dig for a meal than either a fox or a dog.

Hope this helps, I'm sorry you have lost so many chickens. We also had a chicken massacre the other month when a mink came and took some of my chicks :/

The holes are about 14" wide and 4" deep. Im in Shropshire, i fleetingly thought badger as i found a week old lamb which had apparently be eaten by a badger in the same field as the chickens in the spring, head, an limbs intact, chest stripet to the bone an most bones intact, very cleaned out right down to the skin, apsolutly no meat, fat, blood, organs were left.
Quick update on broken wing, it must be kept in small pen, an NO pond for 3 weeks when i take him back for a check up.

 

[FeatheredFreind]

Are you going to set traps for tonight? I am sure it will be back and with that much smell of dead in the air, it will also bring in a lot of other meat eating animals. I experienced a night like that it was my neighbors cat. My chickens was strung from the coop to her porch. I lost 14 total that night and 2 were full grown. If I were you I would plan on trapping for the next two weeks. Sorry to hear for your loss and I hope you catch and kill the problem.