All of my ducks were killed last night!

[aduckstolemyheart]

Oh lord how awful! And here I was, considering setting up my ducks winter adobe in my detached garage. Not any more. :|

I am so so sorry for your loss!

I would see if you can get your hands on one of those live cage traps. That what we use here to catch coons/possums, etc. It may come back tonight if it made off with such a meal the night before.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
Oh poor poor you. You are feeling really upset right now. I know its really really hard to get a handly on this.
YOU did your best for your ducks. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DON:T NEED TO CARRY THIS GIULT!!!!!!!! IT WILL MAKE YOU SICK!!!!!

It does sound like its a stoat/ferrit type thing. YOU must get a grip on yourself and start fighting this thing. You need to find it and kill it before it breads and moves in perminantly!!!!

As for your Ducks - I know this sounds harsh on you but its because I care - Chalk this one up to experience. Yeap they suffered - but every creature out there that is dinner for another suffers that same death. There is nothing you can do about it now. YOU must concentrate on making sure that the place is safe and secure for any others you are going to get. GOING TO GET!!!!!!!!!! - Right!!!!!!!!! - As they say - YOU must get back on that old horse you came off of!!!!!!!!!!

Best thing you can do right now is make the place safe and then get your butt out there and find some really nice wee ducklings that need a home and loads of love !!!!
Cause while your sad over your duckies - there is out there some poor wee duckies just like the ones you had - only they despirately need a good loving home - and YOU GOT ROOM in your garage and your heart!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oesdog - Go get that darn beast and kill it - make your pens safe and then go get new Ducks - I promise it will heal your heart !!!!!!! -

 

[duckluck]

I know someone who has had minks do in a whole lot of his ducks. And they like to kill and not eat.

 

[dumb_cluck]

How do get rid of them (minks, etc?) They are not eating the rat bait...yet.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Oesdog - Go get that darn beast and kill it - make your pens safe and then go get new Ducks - I promise it will heal your heart !!!!!!! -

I am with you! I will be putting hardware cloth the entire height of the pens (actually dog pens) so nothing can reach in or out.

I will NOT be complacent about this at all. Beast be darn!

And.......yes, more ducks are in the works. Deep breath, and more sadness.........​

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
I am with you! I will be putting hardware cloth the entire height of the pens (actually dog pens) so nothing can reach in or out.

I will NOT be complacent about this at all. Beast be darn!

And.......yes, more ducks are in the works. Deep breath, and more sadness.........

Good for you - the best way to beat the beast is get more Ducks that IT cannot kill.

Oesdog -

 

[BlackBart]

Sounds like a Mink.
A lady down the road from me lost 100 chickens last week to a Mink. All her birds were killed.
It got between a piece of siding that was lifted up by a blackberry vine.
She has nailed hardware cloth all over the entire inside of her coop so it can't get in again.

 

[chickensrun]

I am so sorry! It has been a bad week for predators here too. There is something so awful about killing harmless pets although we know the animal kingdom is all about survival. Nothing ever prepares us for that kind of loss when you've obviously done so much to protect them. Dang. Sounds like the other responders know their predators: coon, weasel, mink, could be any one of those. I have timber wolves and hawks mostly.

 

[loot4louie]

If the have-a-hart trap doesnt work, what about glue traps? I would imagine you could even make your own around the pen, I have seen them for big rats, and this animal sounds slinky, not huge like a coon. Just be careful you don't step in them! I know this sounds odd, but my dogs are chicken friendly, and I have started being careful to always leave one with the flock until they are locked in their house at night. They actually seem to watch over the flock and they are retrievers not herd dogs. Maybe you could borrow a bird friendly dog to patrol your garage for a bit?
That stinks- I hope you get the nasty critter.

 

[dumb_cluck]

"my" predator has to be land animal/rodent. AND small enough to get underneath a sliding door.

My chicken's heads are too big to get through the pens, so I "maybe" OK, but I am leaving the light and the radio ON tonight! AND....my monitor camera.


If I had the monitor on last night, I may have been able to save a few.............