Mysterious Massacre

[McChooky]

decapitation? parts everywhere? sounds like this guy.

My daughter in laws indoor outdoor cat went missing around the same time one of those showed up last week

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

Oh- we live on 47 acres in rural Vermont

Coons. They kill but don't eat. I have more cameras up around my predator proof coop than a bank vault. Northern Maine, wild country. Mostly nuisance animals and a lot of moose.
Foxes eat the innards first, usually while the chicken is alive. Same for weasels and ermine. Fisher cats, bobcats, coyotes, never find the body, just feathers maybe.
But coons kill like axe murderers and then gallingly waste the meat. At least that's what I've learned after 7 years here.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

Raccoons eat then go home. They don't kill for fun. Dogs kill for fun.

Coons do not kill for fun, nope. They kill to cut down on food competition. They do not eat it 90% of the time. Rabbits, quail, guineas, chickens, turkeys and even cats and small dogs are killed by coons every year here. Not eaten. Just strewn around like garbage.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

Coons do not kill for fun, nope. They kill to cut down on food competition. They do not eat it 90% of the time. Rabbits, quail, guineas, chickens, turkeys and even cats and small dogs are killed by coons every year here. Not eaten. Just strewn around like garbage.

Dogs almost always eat what they kill.

 

[friednotscrambled]

weasel(s), mink, raccoon (although this seems unlikely for daytime) - it is possible the chickens got scared from the coop and chased around.

 

[TOR]

Best get a game camera up, they are inexpensive.

 

[mcdze]

during early daylight hours is most commonly a group of hawks .. i do say most commonly and theyre usually mauled pretty good. if theres just dead birds laying around with minimal mauling they likely got snatched off the perch before daybreak .. around here id suspect coons or possums .. yes possums .. especially if theres several of them, theyre not really after the birds theyre after the eggs or other food and are just 'clearing the area' of perceived competition .. could be other predators as well, but coons will usually rip them up a bit, possums tend to just kill them and leave them mostly intact .. ive walked out to 5 birds just laying around then proceeded to waste 3-4 possums hanging around over the next couple of days with a nightscope .. like said, if theres alot of them and alot of food competition they do tend to start targeting birds .. aaaand theres probably coons around to if youve never looked at night .. need to start dealing with it, the problem wont go away by itself, and you need a tough to get in coop with no gaps larger than an inch or so ..