Portland Central School teacher Ben Green responded quickly after the school’s 30 hens and a rooster had their necks broken and were left in a wild scene of bodies and feathers. Three chicks did survive somehow.

A new flock has replaced the slaughtered ones, ready for the school’s AgWeek event on Wednesday.

Mr Green organised a good-looking and friendly bunch of hens to bring the chook pen back to a sense of normal on Monday morning for students.

Portland Central’s agricultural assistant Margaret Catchpole was the first person contacted with news of the deaths.

She arrived at the school’s ag section shortly after and was met with a disturbing scene.

“It was pretty sickening,” Ms Catchpole said of all the lifeless chooks among the mess of the slaughter. 

Ms Catchpole was helping yesterday to fix the nearly four-metre-high fence of the chook pen that had been cut with what the school believed to be boltcutters. The strands of barbed wire were still dangling in the air.

The chook pen sits inside a 2.5 metre perimeter fence also with barbed wire. 

Portland Central School deputy principal Fiona Abbott was thankful that the school’s two little horses and goats were not at the school on the weekend.

“Its a horrible thought,” which she said has now left the future of these animals at Portland Central up in the air with fears for their safety.

“It is concerning that these people could live in the community.”

She was sure along with Ms Catchpole that more than one person had committed the killings.

Ms Abbott discounted foxes unless she said they carry boltcutters.

Police attended the school and conducted a crime scene investigation.

Year 9 and 10 Portland Central ag students had a mixture of feelings about their flock being killed.

Emotions ranged from saddened to angry but the students did manage a smile or two with their new girls especially when a fresh egg was found yesterday morning.