Did they live through that? Just wondering. And have you thought of the possibility of weasels? Perhaps a weasel got a hold of them. I've heard they can rip a bird to pieces. And also, what about the possibility that other birds did it to them? I may just be shooting in the dark. I would definitely keep an eye out for predators. It doesn't sound like a hawk or eagle attack. They would snatch a bird whole and drag it off to be eaten somewhere else, and you'd definitely find puncture marks. Here in Indiana my neighbor across the street lost 15 chickens in one night this summer when a big dog from around the corner came into their yard in the middle of the night and was pulling the birds right through the wiring. At first no one had any idea what did it, and we all thought raccoon, but then they discovered that it was the dog, and they told my DD and she came and told me. I was skeptical, until I was out in yard with my own birds as they were freeranging, and the dog appeared out of nowhere from behind another neighbor's pine tree, and he was staring right at my chickens. With people he's nice, but I grabbed him by his collar and held him while my daughter fetched a leash, and I walked him home. His owners weren't home but they have another dog tied in the back, so I took the dog back there and tied him up with that dog. I'm sure they were wondering how their dog got tied, but I was less worried about trespassing on their lawn than I was about their big monster dog eating my birds. I mean that dog is HUGE! If I had to wage a guess I'd say he's part sheperd and part coyote. I'm 5'8 and the dog stands at my hip on all 4's. He weights well over 100 lbs, and he's definitely underfed, so he would probably be around 175 at proper weight, and he has paws nearly as big as my hands. He is an enormous dog. But I was not about to let him get at my poor, defenseless little chickens. He would have destroyed most of my flock before I could stop him, and if it was left to me to stop him, I'd have had to beat him, or go get my neighbor who has a rifle, cause I don't yet have one. Who knows, maybe a dog strayed onto your property. I'd check your perimeter just to be safe. Cause that dog appeared out of nowhere with us, and my neighbors never heard him attack their birds. It was silent. It's just a thought. I hope you figure out what hurt your birds though so you know how to prevent it from happening again.
