Dead duck

[Afroggie4u]

I have 10 ducks and 13 chickens housed in my coop, I lock them up at night and they are out in the morning in a run. I have cattle panel fence with 2 ft of chicken wire and 4 strands of electric fence around the run and coop. My ducks are 7 runner females, 1 Campbell female, and 2 Campbell males. Some are currently laying and one is an excellent mother. Males are currently mating. Yesterday morning I let them out and 2 of my female runners had blood and small cuts on their necks and heads. I cleaned and applied polysporin to them. Last night I put them in their coop and this morning I found one of the injured ones dead with her entire head and neck bloody and down to the bone, also eyes missing (sorry for being graphic). Also we had snow last night and I checked for any tracks near the coop, none. My question is would one of the males killed her and maybe nice ate the head or could one of the females killed her to protect the eggs. Never in 3 yrs had an issues with anything killed in coop. Chickens are all fine. Could use advice.

 

[Jpat]

Raccoons will do something like, if there is a small gap they can get a paw in they will try too pull a bird out peice by peice

Some small animals instintively go for the head, Like weasels, minks, stoats, and some others

ide go in and look for holes, gaps and cracks that a weasel could fit in, check around the outside for dug holes

ive had a drake kill a hen before and it was savage but never anything close to what your decribing, and ive seen ducks eat mice so i wouldnt think a mouse is involved

Sorry for your loss

 

[chickens really]

I'd say the Drakes killed her and the chickens ate her.

 

[Afroggie4u]

Raccoons will do something like, if there is a small gap they can get a paw in they will try too pull a bird out peice by peice

Some small animals instintively go for the head, Like weasels, minks, stoats, and some others

ide go in and look for holes, gaps and cracks that a weasel could fit in, check around the outside for dug holes

ive had a drake kill a hen before and it was savage but never anything close to what your decribing, and ive seen ducks eat mice so i wouldnt think a mouse is involved

Sorry for your loss
[/QUOT

Raccoons will do something like, if there is a small gap they can get a paw in they will try too pull a bird out peice by peice

Some small animals instintively go for the head, Like weasels, minks, stoats, and some others

ide go in and look for holes, gaps and cracks that a weasel could fit in, check around the outside for dug holes

ive had a drake kill a hen before and it was savage but never anything close to what your decribing, and ive seen ducks eat mice so i wouldnt think a mouse is involved

Sorry for your loss

No holes, I have a solid wood floor. No holes or gaps between floor and walls. No tracks in the fresh snow.

 

[Afroggie4u]

I'd say the Drakes killed her and the chickens ate her.

Hope it's that simple and not something that will kill any more. Considering getting a video baby monitor.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Your one Runner that’s still injured I’d keep away from your chickens since they are drawn to open wounds and your drakes because they are over mating this poor female. Maybe separate your drakes from chickens and ducks at night.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Also drakes will also go after chicken for mating and can be a death sentence for the chicken too.

 

[Afroggie4u]

Raccoons will do something like, if there is a small gap they can get a paw in they will try too pull a bird out peice by peice

Some small animals instintively go for the head, Like weasels, minks, stoats, and some others

ide go in and look for holes, gaps and cracks that a weasel could fit in, check around the outside for dug holes

ive had a drake kill a hen before and it was savage but never anything close to what your decribing, and ive seen ducks eat mice so i wouldnt think a mouse is involved

Sorry for your loss

It was a weasel, saw it in the coop tonight, got in a little tiny crack in the wall. I hit it once but it got away. Any suggestions on trapping or killing it. I plan on fixing the gap it got in but I want to get rid of it.

 

[Jpat]

It was a weasel, saw it in the coop tonight, got in a little tiny crack in the wall. I hit it once but it got away. Any suggestions on trapping or killing it. I plan on fixing the gap it got in but I want to get rid of it.

Oh wow! Lucky you seen it thats rare.

Trapping them is hard, Pros snare them. But ive gottem them with wire "live traps" and very large rat traps. But be carefull because a rat trap will do big damage to a duck bill

Heres a safeway of using a rat trap

And what i mean by live trap

 

[Miss Lydia]

I was going to say weasels and mink can get through a 1" opening. TSC sells traps. If you go on the predator and prey forum here on BYC you can ask what is the best trap to catch this weasel. I am so glad you figured it out before you came in tomorrow and find another one gone.