Duck down :(. What would do this?

[hannahsg0307]

So sorry for your losses, try looking on here in the ornamental thread or buy sell trade to see if you can find a mate for your lone drake as bad as your feeling he is even feeling worse. and please while your at it fortify your aviary because predators never give up you catch and kill one another tasks it's place. you don'tr want more heart ache.

Thanks. My hubby is going to set his trap every day now as we still have many other kind of ducks and chicken out their.

 

[mom2mnem]

So sorry, hannah! It's so heartbreaking!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

X2 on the fortify! (Miss Lydia is always spot on.

) Sorry for your loss

we lost two ducklings this spring to raccoons too. They are smarter, stronger and more tenacious than you might think. Channel the hurt into determination to not give those masked bandits another chance. Good luck on finding a lady for your drake.

 

[hannahsg0307]

X2 on the fortify! (Miss Lydia is always spot on.

) Sorry for your loss

we lost two ducklings this spring to raccoons too. They are smarter, stronger and more tenacious than you might think. Channel the hurt into determination to not give those masked bandits another chance. Good luck on finding a lady for your drake.

Last night, another racoon (I think because we only set the trap at night so it might not a squirrel, but it might be a possum too, we had catch a few possums before) took the bait out without shut the trap down just like the first one did and we got him. We also found another hole in the pen as he was trying to get in to my duck pen again so.. we're going to set the trap again.. my hubby say he will sleep in the duck pen tonight if he has to.. we got get this.. whole bast%$&% family before they have a chance to get their nails on our ducks again.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Depending on where you live, you might try adding a DP (dog proof) coon trap. This is how I caught mine. They are only about $20 and while they won't catch a possum, a coon won't get away with the bait either. A couple mini marshmallows under the trigger a couple more above it and a couple on the ground. Secure it with a $3 corkscrew style dog stake and Mr. raccoon will be waiting for you in the morning. Of course you will have to deal with it on site because moving it first would be out of the question. Also in the lessons learned department, if you are going to put it where your birds will be by day... you can put a $1 teracotta flower pot over it during the day so the birds don't eat the marshmallows.

 

[hannahsg0307]

Depending on where you live, you might try adding a DP (dog proof) coon trap. This is how I caught mine. They are only about $20 and while they won't catch a possum, a coon won't get away with the bait either. A couple mini marshmallows under the trigger a couple more above it and a couple on the ground. Secure it with a $3 corkscrew style dog stake and Mr. raccoon will be waiting for you in the morning. Of course you will have to deal with it on site because moving it first would be out of the question. Also in the lessons learned department, if you are going to put it where your birds will be by day... you can put a $1 teracotta flower pot over it during the day so the birds don't eat the marshmallows.

Thank you. I agree with you that the marshmallows and peanut butter really works well that how we caught the first raccoon but we only set the trap at night because we're tired to caught squirrel. Yesterday afternoon we heard raccoon again so.. I guessing we will have another one in the trap soon.

 

[hannahsg0307]

We just caught another raccoon in the trap.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We just caught another raccoon in the trap.

I'm sure there is a never ending supply of Raccoon out there.

 

[Starfire669]

I am so sorry for all your losses and heart ache. Is there anyway you could get a livestock guardian dog for nightime? Or maybe a couple cats? Coons and cats don't mix well. My outside cats completely ignore my flock of chickens, ducks, and geese, but they are great at snake and mouse patrol. The smell of cats urine, or the urine of other larger predators can scare off coons. Might want to try it around the duck pen. Because unless you can get the whole family the coons will keep coming back and breeding more babies. I'd also carry a gun, if you see 1 and have a shot, put it down and bury the b@stard.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Coons can kill cats and dogs. They can climb and dig. They can tear up poultry netting and open latches. They can't cut hardware cloth resist a marshmallow or eat too much lead.