What killed my 7 chickens this morning?

[IdyllwildAcres]

I would call animal control right now, do not let this go without a record of it. Even in Ca I can kill a dog if it is chasing my chickens.

Gary from Idyllwild Ca here

 

[Bamafansince86]

I live in the county, so no animal control here. Sheriff's deputy wrote a report. No one is home at the neighbors house which is about 300 yards away from my house. They keep the 5 dogs in a 6 x 6 pen. Seems a bit small for 5 large dogs. I'll see if the guy will pay me something but I doubt he will.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Good luck with the neighbor maybe he will be reasonable

Gary from Idyllwild CA here

 

[Chicken Girl1]

Sorry for your loses! Your neighbor definitely should do something to repay you for the lose of 19 birds.

 

[dadaas]

I lost one duck few days ago and other was damaged, but will survive.

Like i already say i have the ducks free to move in big backyard that is somehow growing on it own, bushes, big grass and stuff like that, so lots of palce for them to hide.

But the duck that got killed was killed in same way like the OP detailed. Lots of feather lost, and under neck missing some meat, but there was no blood at all, nowhere to see blood. So i m not sure if it was dog. Neigbor have some stupid dog, but he is not so big, and i didnt see him in my backyard and i m not even sure he can get in the backyard. But last year i also lost 2 ducks in almost same way. It is winter here so it may be that some wild predator have come to get some food? Like fox, weasel or something like that?

There are woods behind my backyard and wild predators have seen many times in town.

But will a predator not take the pray? Or is he justd runk a blood and go away? I hear some predators just drink blood. And how come other duck got away injured. Both ducks are wild ducks and small ducks. Bigger ducks are not injured. But we are talking about ducks that are 5 times bigger than this little ducks. Give me some info.

And how come this ducks dont get together and chase predator.

 

[Howard E]

I lost one duck few days ago and other was damaged, but will survive.

Like i already say i have the ducks free to move in big backyard that is somehow growing on it own, bushes, big grass and stuff like that, so lots of palce for them to hide.

But the duck that got killed was killed in same way like the OP detailed. Lots of feather lost, and under neck missing some meat, but there was no blood at all, nowhere to see blood. So i m not sure if it was dog. Neigbor have some stupid dog, but he is not so big, and i didnt see him in my backyard and i m not even sure he can get in the backyard. But last year i also lost 2 ducks in almost same way. It is winter here so it may be that some wild predator have come to get some food? Like fox, weasel or something like that?

There are woods behind my backyard and wild predators have seen many times in town.

But will a predator not take the pray? Or is he justd runk a blood and go away? I hear some predators just drink blood. And how come other duck got away injured. Both ducks are wild ducks and small ducks. Bigger ducks are not injured. But we are talking about ducks that are 5 times bigger than this little ducks. Give me some info.

And how come this ducks dont get together and chase predator.

Sorry for the loss of your ducks. As you describe it, this does not sound like a dog. Most likely a different predator, and maybe even a hawk or other raptor. That it left the bird where it was killed is also a clue. Mostly rules out things like a fox, etc.

What time of day was the duck lost? And curious, where are you located? If not exactly, approximately? Different areas and regions have different predators.

 

[dadaas]

I m from Croatia. That is easter Europe. We have https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_pine_marten this predators that attack bchicken and ducks ina rea.

But will this predator leave such a mess. He left a huge mess. And this marten predator i never saw in my life. So i think it is rare in area or it is keeping away from people.

But i have saw this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_weasel
Lots of time. They look almost same but thisone is lot smaller. Will this weasel leave such a mess.

There was a mess with feather in 2x2 meters area.

But will this predators leave a pray and such a huge mess?

In my area there are crows, but i dont think crows attack ducks?

And we have birds predators howering around the area for most of the time. but my ducks have bushes and trees to hide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_eagle
- thisone is kind of rare but i have saw it sometimes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk
- i have seen those

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon
- and this one is packed, i have seen lots of those in the area.

So will any of this do the mess, leave the food on the table. there was no blood, so it appears like someone sucked the blood and some part of chest was missing. And injured duck was injured on the tail, i have seen that she is mising feather there and was wounded but just 2 days after wounds are healed, isnt that miracle? How come ducks can heal wounds so fast?

EDIT:
I m asking this because if it was neighbors dog so i know if my ducks are in more danger fromt his little dirty *******. Dont get me wrong, this dog is poor, it is some mixed bread from lassie and god knows what, it is small, hungry all the time, nobody plays with him, kind of confused, probably not vaccined. And he is also escape artist. But this little dog is scary of everything. Owners of this dog are having it just to have dog, i wonder if they even feed him every day and give him water. They hardly care for them self so i dont know why the hell they need dog to care for.

 

[Howard E]

The dog is a threat, but he does not sound like your predator, nor does the pine martin or weasel. All of those tend to kill many birds at once...sometimes the whole flock. Dogs seem to kill birds for the fun of it......weasels and their close relatives keep killing anything that moves. That is a natural reflex thing for them.

The nature of your lost duck sounds very much like a hawk, eagle or some such. In the US, a raccoon might kill and eat part of a single duck, at least this time of year. The dog is a possibility if it was starving and killed something to eat. Whatever it was, you can be certain it will be back for more.

 

[dadaas]

Yes, you may be right. Hawk may do it. But can Falcon do it too? Falcons are smaller. I dotn have problem if bird predator attacked my ducks, but if it was dog, fox, weasel or martens then i m afraid because those predators willr eturn and they may eat all.

And dog, if it was dog i m afraid he would kill all.

But, how come hawk or falcon attacked 2 ducks? Is this scenario possible? And how did it go?

He fly by and try to atatck one but miss and only injure it? Then he goes again on another fly by and atatcks other and kills it?
Are this birds sucking blood? How come there is no blood, wounds on dead duck are huge but no blood.

I have throw dead duck few yards from my backyard, so whatever wanted to eat it to eat it whole. I like to do some kind of circle in the nature, if this hawk needed food and duck is already dead, he should have it.

 

[Bamafansince86]

I ended up having to put an end to the threat myself. I tried talking to the neighbors but they wouldnt open the door the 3 times I went over there. The sheriff deputy told me to shoot the animal when it comes back on my property. Sure enough, I put new chicks in a pen and they came. Broke my heart having to do it.