Absolutely devastated... please help with identification.

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

I had a flock of ducks that consisted of two female Pekins, 4 guineas, and 9 call ducks. They are free range till it gets dark then I put them away every night (in secure houses inside my small shed)... Tonight like every night I went to get the flock in at around 6:30pm. I got out there and immediately knew something was wrong. I saw the guineas and my one pekin duck standing in their usual spot under the light infront of my shed waiting to go in. I of course began panicking frantically running around till I heard quacking. I was relieved and figured the rest of the flock was just behind the fence in my front yard. I quickly ran around to check. I said in my head oh here’s the ducks there ok... I was wrong. I got there started counted and quickly noticed Bear the Pekin was not there. My two Pekins were sisters and never separate plus Crazy (sister by the shed) wasn’t even quacking for her. I knew in my heart she was gone but I was running around in a frantic haze of tears and cold wind... then I was looking and I saw her on the sidewalk to my house. I just broke down. I tried to prepare myself to go look. I knew I couldn’t fully... I went over took one look, lost it and ran into my house. I tried to calm myself down for a minute then knew I had to go count the ducks again, check for injuries, and secure everyone no matter how sad I was. I had a couple pieces of wood laying on my sidewalk and she must have gone in between them when she was trying to run. She was killed right in there... I shouldn’t have put the stupid boards there, she might have been able to get away. Her head was gone and she was lying in a pool of blood, no feathers anywhere. There was blood on the boards with bloody footprints left on the wood. I’m in iL and there’s all kinds of predators here. I just couldn’t bring myself to take pictures but I’m going to take pictures of the footprints.... any help is appreciated... I am just heartbroken, she was only around a year old. I should have put them in earlier but I usually leave them out till 8 pm with no problems...

 

[Weeg]

I am so sorry! Losses are so hard! I have had may losses, but never had to see it. I am so sorry of your loss! Post foot prints and see maybe what it was. *Hugs and more hugs*

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

I am so sorry! Losses are so hard! I have had may losses, but never had to see it. I am so sorry of your loss! Post foot prints and see maybe what it was. *Hugs and more hugs*

Thank you so much. I’ve dealt with plenty of losses too but yes just seeing it first hand is such an awful thing. I hate to say it but I’d rather deal with the not knowing than seeing how horrible it was. I will go out right now and post the footprints.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I prefer to know what happened and see the sight so I'm not left wondering if they're trapped somewhere I can't get to where they'll wither away. But it never feels good to know it's not possible to get them back

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

I prefer to know what happened and see the sight so I'm not left wondering if they're trapped somewhere I can't get to where they'll wither away. But it never feels good to know it's not possible to get them back

Thank you for the response. You are right. I guess it’s just always hard. Seeing this has just really shaken me up. I really wish it was but sadly it’s not.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Well I tried my best but it’s dark out and I couldn’t get a good picture. Some of the footprints aren’t really visible anymore but there’s a few that can slightly be made out. I will try to take better pictures and investigate more in the morning.

Spoiler: Warning graphic images (blood)

 

[Weeg]

You have Coyotes? Those look like dog or Coyote prints to me. Though it seems like a Coyote would have taken the whole bird though.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Maybe a racoon? It sounds like how I found one of my ducks. I can't see the prints very well though

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

You have Coyotes? Those look like dog or Coyote prints to me. Though it seems like a Coyote would have taken the whole bird though.

We have coyotes but when I lost one to them before all that was left was feathers... yeah only the head is gone everything else was untouched

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Maybe a racoon? It sounds like how I found one of my ducks. I can't see the prints very well though

The picture is really not good but I feel like it doesn’t look like a raccoon. To me it looked like a dog the footprint in the first picture is bigger than the size of a quarter... I’ll try to get better ones tommorow.