My entire coop of chickens were killed. I live outside of a small town with rolling hills and not many trees. I had 7 young hens and a 3 ft. tall rooster. They were all killed in the middle of the day (sometime between 9am and 5pm). I found most of the bodies, but they weren't eaten. It appeared whatever killed them did it out of sport . It also appears that whatever got them went for their neck and then after they died, just left them there. I am so very sad. Any ideas on what it could be or how to catch it so it won't happen when I get new chickens?

It sounds like this was most likely a fox. Foxes will kill all of the chickens , and although it seems like they've just done it for fun etc. it's actually so that they can come back later to retrieve the rest of the chickens. It's a survival technique, if the fox killed one rather than all then they would risk losing that extra food, it's sad though, and I'm sorry to hear about your chickens. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Put up some wire fencing around the area your chickens are in. Make sure it's under the ground a bit too (although I'm not sure how deep it needs to be) so the fox can't bury underneath it.

The only animal I've ever heard of that bites the neck and doesn't eat the body is a chupacabra. I know people say its just a myth but I have seen actual fotage on the discovery chanel of an unknown animal who many researchers and scientists believe to be a chupacabra. I'm not saying it exist or it doesn't because no one can really say it does or it doesn't but that's just what it sounds like .... it fits the description perfectly.

Sounds like a canine of some sort, could be a fox or coyote, but more than likely a dog. How large are the bite marks?

As far as catching it .... set a live trap. You can get them at feed and hardware stores. Keep in mind you may have to call your local wildlife office to deal with whatever you catch.

Look for tooth marks on the neck. If you see any, an animal did it. Look for a crushed or flattened head. If you see that, a person had beat your chickens to death. If it is a person, go and search and think who may have done it.

You need to give a little more detail about your coop. Raccoons are crafty and can fit in some pretty small spaces but weasel can fit in even smaller ones. A raccoon will feast after the kill.

I think it was a fox cause they normally bite the neck.

myself

Mostlikely a cyote ........

me

it was problably a chupacabras

Hello, sorry to hear about this!

It sounds very much like you have had either a fox or maybe even a badger attack, but it sounds very much like the tactics of a fox.

At the moment the fox have young, though they may be a little older so that the parents do no longer have to hunt for them, this years young will be a little more adventourus being out of of the set.
I hope that you will continue to keep the birds in the future and not let this sad event spoil the fun of keeping chickens

kept chucks for a bit my self I have see

To me it sounds like a dog. Wild animals don't really kill for sport. A fox is more likely to sneak in, steal one bird, take it back to the den and come back for another. They wouldn't kill them all first and then retrieve the bodies .

I also don't usually hear about fox's killing during the middle of the day, they usually sneak in at night. Also I think the giant rooster might have been a bit large for a fox.

Do any of your neighbors have a small hunting dog? Jack Russles and many other small breeds of dogs were originally bred for hunting, so they would be able to sneak through a small place, and would have it in them to kill for sport.

You can get a humane trap from your local farm store. It will have instructions, try putting it near the coop and baiting it with some tasty meat. Who knows you might catch Sparky from next door.

So sorry about your chickens!