What preditor can squeeze through a 2"x3" hole and eat chickens in NYS

Sorry for your losses. What are you finding in the coop? I have found that chickens are not very bright, and if a coon reaches through the fence, the chicken will walk right up to investigate, and then the coon grabs it. Watched a coon pick off a batch of chicks through chicken wire that way once. With grown chickens, the bodies will often be next to the fence with the heads gone, although a couple of my hens looked like they managed to stagger to the other side of the coop before dying; they did have head and neck injuries.

 

weasels maybe

 

Weasles or rats was the chicken gutted and the body left alone?

 

Weasels. Definately. Had them go through my 2x2 wire.

 

Is the fence wire 2" x 3" all the way around? Or has that been used on the top, but smaller wire around the sides???

 

I'd agree with weasels. We've also had a couple of minks around. They'll easily go through your wire. Hardware cloth should be used in this area. Good luck - hope you catch it!

 

If you place plywood boards two feet high around your run that may help but your also going to have to use chicken wire, that's what its for.

 

I would also agree with weasels. I live in NY and sam one once running down the side of the road after a snow storm. I also lost my whole flock of 5 chickens to one like 6 years ago. It got in and killed them all and ate what it wanted. We trapped it like a day later with the remains of one of the chickens.

 

It's a weasel.

Rats "could" do it, but very rarely will they kill "several" or a "few" chickens a night. Multiple killings are a weasel, or those closely related to a weasels, calling card.