McChooky
Free Ranging
I agree wholeheartedly.The only thing that kills for sport is a dog and weasels get so excited they'll kill everything too.I've heard Fisher cats and Minks are just as bad...So sorry for you, Kari. Nothing more heartbreaking than to find your flock like this.
This sounds to me like either domestic dog, or weasel. Either one will kill, and then not eat their victims. Weasels can be problematic, as they can squeeze through extremely small gaps in fencing. Narrow hardware cloth will keep them out, but anything else they can get through.
Dogs can be the worst, though. When I was a young kid my parents lost our flock of Pekin Ducks to just one dog. It killed every one, but ate none of them. So in your case it could be either one. Both are clever, patient, and persistant.
After I had predator loss a few years back, I mounted motion activated lights, and trail cameras around my coops and run. Light helps discourage many of the predators, and cameras will let you know what is coming around, and what time. The predators are like human crooks - they case your place for a while, before they strike.
Once you ID what this is, you have the right way to deal with it. Shootin' iron, and a good dog.