What beast would get over a 5' stock fence without any damage and kill ......

[ticndig]

why do some pics turn . only turned after I hit post.

 

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[Charlie P. (NY)]

I found a section of our chicken run where the welded-wire enclosure was 1" above the soil between posts where some ground had settled/eroded. I found this AFTER a fox had slipped in by squeezing under and killed 9 chickens - removing one by dragging it back under that gap (leaving feathers in that spot). Foxes and coyotes are a constant menace here. I see them at least three times a week year-round.

We also have fisher cats (rare, but I watched an adult and four young cross the road by our home) and weasels that will decimate a flock just to run off with one. We lost 15 chickens in a closed coop that had no opening large enough for a chicken to escape. Apparently something climbed up the barn wall and got in between the roof and the rafters - about a 2" gap. All had their throats ripped out. That was likely a weasel.

 

[RedLeaf]

Regardless of what you have, you may have to be proactive by covering your bases, what ever it is likely to be back. My thought is set at least one Live trap large enough for at least Raccoon size, set several Victor Rat Traps w/ meat bait in Cubbyhole/box like paint can size or wooden box around the periphery for Weasel, & trail/game Cam if you have one. In other words, set up a Gauntlet & hit them hard. Raising stock , birds, vegetables is tough business, so many things out there want an easy meal. Best of luck & so sorry you have to do damage control.

 

[Radon]

Sounds like the work of a fishercat to me. I had the same thing happen with chickens. Killed them all, only ate one. I also had raccoon attacks, but usually they would only take one.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

We have neighborhood and "volunteer" barn cats so I don't us poison or leg-hold traps.

When I set out live traps I invariably catch skunks. Occasionally raccoons. The rat trap in a paint can isn't a bad idea. I set out rat-traps with peanut butter and decimated the local chipmunk population - so I gave up on that. May try meat baited traps under a cover so cats wouldn't be tempted.

Years ago when we lived "closer in" and had more neighbors I set a leg trap for raccoons. Two events soured me. The first was a trap I had set between corn rows. Caught a HUGE raccoon (around 45 lbs) but while trapped he had stretched the chain out and pulled down all the corn stalks in a 15 ft "crop circle" and took out about 1/2 my garden crop. But his career was ended. The second catch was Hortie, my elder neighbor's black cat that was a sweet guy (the cat and the owner). I felt horrible. Happily we got him patched up at the vet and no bones were broken. Haven't set a leg-hold since (that was about 1985). Poor cat was friendlier to me afterwards because I "saved" him from that awful trap thing.

 

[fistfulladirt]

We’ve had wolverine cats and skunk cats (pole cats) seen ‘round here. Why are they called cats when they are mustelidea?

 

[Tencents]

When I was a kid we had a raccoon kill all our chickens one night and didn't eat any, 32 total.

 

[fistfulladirt]

When I was a kid we had a raccoon kill all our chickens one night and didn't eat any, 32 total.

Who likes this?

 

[ticndig]

The like was in agreement that a coon can and will do the damage the O P described .
Raccoon is a logical answer to the question asked . most of the answers given were nonsense.

 

[airborne1092]

buzzards? those things attacked our chicken in GA a few years ago. otherwise I'd say raccoon or cougar. any Nittany lions left up there?

 

[Upnorth42]

Its a bit of an odd situation you have. The kill them all is a mink thing. My neighbor is a chicken farmer and he has shot mink that were in the process of killing the chickens. I remember one time he lost 35 at once before he shot the mink. The take a goose and run with it sounds more like a coyote. I have not heard of (around here at least) of a mass slaughter from raccoons. They will however pull a bird piece by piece through wire. Time to set up some large box traps and see what shows up.