[Somewhere_by_the_river]

If it was mink there would be a hole in the back of the head/neck - we have pictures if it would help for future identification as we had a mink attack just after we moved here (OH got the mink, but only after she had killed 2 hens). A good indication is to look at the feathers that were removed, a bird of prey will pluck, often starting with breast, whereas a fox would 'snip' them off usually leaving a pile of feathers decoratively (!!) surrounding the remains of a carcass. A fox would only leave something behind if disturbed and dogs often go for the bottom end first. It does sound more like a bird of prey.

[Ideation]

I deal with hundreds of dead poultry (effectively) each year, killed by buzzards and goshawks. What you tend to find, is they hit them, and you get a small puff of feathers, and then they sit on the carcass and pluck the chest feathers and strip the meat from the breast bone.

Owls tend to remove and eat the heads.

Also get to see raven kills, and the occasional sparrow hawk has a go, but not often.

With mink (and stoats etc) you do tend to get a pair of holes in the back of the skull of neck.

I do get the joy of identifying dead birds and what's killed them way way more than i'd like!

[SLI]

Does a fox usually leave mist of the carcass? I had a hen killed last week and there was just a pile of feathers left. I assumed it was a fox as there are loads around here, but there are also lots of birds of prey.

[little haven]

i would be more inclined to lean towards it being a badger we had ducks that went  with same symptoms and i assumed it was a fox and set up a humane trap, when checked in the morning there was a rather p!55ed off badger so with some fuss that one was released further down the garden ( hopefully not something i'll have to do again )