What could kill and eat 30 chickens in 1 night and not leave a single body.

[Sunshine Flock]

Just a guess based on coyote scat I've seen. Not just the hair factor, it just doesn't look right to me based on my experiences. I could be wrong. Wild animal scat of any sort can vary greatly depending what they've recently consumed. As others have said, size of scat makes a huge difference, and I don't know that piece of the puzzle either.

I forgot to post this earlier... it's very similar to the chart in Storey's guide as well. This may help OP figure things out with other clues.

https://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/poultry/chicken-coops-housing/what-killed-my-chicken/

It's understandable why you're thinking it may not have been a coyote. I've learned that coyote scat can vary by time of year and region. Here with toyon and manzanita berries, the scat can be berry infused and very dark and less dog like. That's often what I see. So I looked up some photos and sure enough lots of coyote scat does look like his photo.

And so does cougar scat. Yikes. But I'm not familiar with the wildlife in Alabama.

 

[EggWalrus]

I'll get a tape measure and go take some pics if it's still there. I'll also try to get better pics of the poo by breaking it up. We'll see just what's in it ? I'll also get some of the blood stains.

 

[Welshies]

Cougars generally stay away from people. They have a 90% kill rate, but they are also mainly ambush hunters. They jump down from trees to get deer or elk. This was not the work of a cougar- they are strictly carnivorous.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

It was definitely a fox. Being omnivores, their scat will have anything in it- seeds, berries, hair, etc. It wouldn't have been a weasel; they wouldn't have carried away all the bodies. Foxes are much more oppurtunistic and their trademark is carrying away the bodies- it buries them to eat later.
This was likely not a coyote. They usually don't do this- foxes do.

Coyotes are carnivores, and so are bears and cougars, and yet lots of their scat tends to have evidence of a much higher ratio of berries than bones and hair. It often has to do with food supply.

And often I only ever see berries in scat, and yet I often know for certain when I'm looking at coyote scat.

 

[Welshies]

Coyotes are carnivores, and so are bears and cougars, and yet lots of their scat tends to have evidence of a much higher ratio of berries than bones and hair. It often has to do with food supply.

And often I only ever see berries in scat, and yet I often know for certain when I'm looking at coyote scat.

Bears are omnivores. This had been proven multiple times... so are coyotes. As are foxes. And wolves.
Cougars are cats. Cats are carnivorous.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

It's just skewed terminology; I confuse those words all the time. Someday maybe I'll get it straight.

The hunting methods of a cougar don't apply when the front door to the Cougar Country Store is wide open.

A cougar killed a raccoon while we were out in the dog yard, not far from where we were standing. Super creepy sounds in the woods. The animal kingdom's version of the Blair Witch Project. I'll never forget it.

And just out a neighbor's back door, a cougar attacked and killed someone's goat down the road. He shot the cougar. I wish I had been able to take a look. I hear it was a large male.

But no clue on the wildlife in Alabama!

 

[kwhites634]

No, I did not see hair in the scat, that's what we are looking at as cues. I believe the very dark color indicates that the animal in question was eating some meat, but absence of hair is questionable. I looked up pics of coyote scat. Many samples had seeds, which fits their omnivore diet. Some samples did not have visible hair, though the warm water may have teased some hair out. I'm saying coyote b/c so many birds were taken in a single night. I think there would have been more signs if it had been coon. Bobcat could also do the stealth, multiple birds carried off to cache elsewhere, but I'm putting my money on coyote. I have little first hand experience to back up my thoughts.

Hey, Lazy
How's by you?
I went back & looked at the picture; I'm not sure that what I thought were seeds weren't actually kernels of corn. I see coon all the time, eating corn that the deer feeder has thrown out.

 

[happyhens1972]

Bears are omnivores. This had been proven multiple times... so are coyotes. As are foxes. And wolves.
Cougars are cats. Cats are carnivorous.

Very true! All cats, both domestic and wild, are obligate carnivores. They do not have the necessary physiology to digest plant matter and tend only to eat plant matter in order to intentionally make themselves sick....when they've eaten something that has upset their stomach or to help them bring up bones, teeth and other difficult to digest bits and bobs.

 

[lazy gardener]

KW, I'm putting my money on coyote, in spite of seeds in scat. I agree with you that it was visible corn kernels. And that would point to coon. But, in my experience, there would have been more damage if coon, and I think there would have been at least 1 or two bodies left behind, more feathers. Of course it could have been a gang of coons. I don't know how solitary they are in the winter. I think this time of year, meat may be scarce, and those coyotes will eat what ever they can get. They are opportunistic, similar to coon, but perhaps more successful in "procuring steak for the evening meal" than a coon might be.

How ya doin, anyhow????

 

[Sunshine Flock]

A fox will kill many birds at one time then carry them off one by one to eat later, leaving only some feathers behind, and is small enough to go through the chicken door.

The coyote that grabbed my rooster took him into the woods and left him there while she ran back for more. Henry was alive and alert but badly injured. So it's possible the suspect is one that has this same pattern of food gathering. That could help rule out the innocents.