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

[Taunya]

Is escape by some of the chickens a possibility?

 

[EggWalrus]

Till I can afford to put up an electric fence around the back yard and build a more secure roosting coop, she said no more babies! I've been trying to get back to over 100 birds again since this time last year so we can eat our own chicken each week, but there's always something happening to them. I've tried to tell my brother you need over 100, with enough Broody Mommas or you'll run out of birds just eating 1 pet week. Not only do you have to replace those you eat, but also the ones that die from predators and natural causes.

 

[EggWalrus]

Is escape by some of the chickens a possibility?

Not likely. If they were alive within 500ft of the other chickens, I would have heard them. plus they would have heard the remaining birds and came for dinner with the noise they make. Even the 2 little ones and that Momma have started to come back over here each day at dinner time, eat, then haul tail back over to the neighbor's. I guess she feels more secure over there with a couple of dogs, or she just hasn't forgot the Massacre yet. Christmas day while they were foraging and the pen door open, something came in and killed one that stayed behind. It left the body with puncture wounds on both side by the wings. Weird thing is it was too light, like it had been drained of blood. I don't think the Christmas killer and the Massacre killer are the same.

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

They do have a territory... but not a den site. They'll cache all over their territory and preferred den areas. But they do not have a permanent den.

We must have special foxes in my hood...

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

@EggWalrus sorry to hear about this. Hopefully done more of your chickens will show up.

Now I'm going to have to walk around our property as we have many groundhogs and I did not know that foxes will den in old goundhog burrows. Nor, did I know much about where to look for them.
This site has a lot of good info regarding what to look for if you are looking for a fox den (at least the red fox which I know we have here). I have seen coyote dens and holes. So, I sort of know what to look for there.
http://www.terrierman.com/lifehabitatRedFox.htm
Too bad you don't have snow, I am always looking at the snow these days to make sure there are no new tracks that me or my dogs didn't make around the coop and run - as I have imagined all sorts of predators lurking about.

 

[Welshies]

A Bobcat won't eat thirty of them. That is coyote poo, Coyotes work in a group. They can fit one chicken in there mouth and run to a hiding spot to eat them a pack of 10 coyotes can do it in about 1 hour. They aren't stupid eating machines. Most likely they a close by during the day time watching everyone's comings and goings. I suggest that you read everything you can about the coyote. It sounds like you have a big pack. You will hear them at night barking and howling.Form up a posse of neighbors and kill the female there is only one per pack. Good luck.

Coyotes do not I repeat do not work in packs. Moreso there is not one female per pack... that is a complete lie. Even wolf packs don't work like that.

 

[Welshies]

We must have special foxes in my hood...

http://www.newforestexplorersguide.co.uk/wildlife/mammals/foxes/family-life.html

 

[Welshies]

Fox scat-
https://www.wildernesscollege.com/fox-tracks.html
Coyote scat-
https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/coyote-info/signs-coyote-presence

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

To begin with I thought someone backed up a truck with a dog cage and stole them till I found the feathers and blood. But now I'm wondering, that many birds and no blood but 2 little spots, maybe some 2 legged critter did get them.

I think thats what happened, and the thieves left the door open not your ole lady.

Gary

 

[Welshies]

Eastern coyote- found working in packs, "coywolf"
http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com
Western coyote- "regular" coyote
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/c/coyote/