Ducklings Dying, please help!

[Mreeves]

My ducklings are 4 weeks old. I had 2 Campbell khakis , one Indian runner and a white pekin. I have the ducklings in a round pen and at night I put them inside a large dog kennel with hay and water to keep them safe from predators. This last Monday I found one of the khakis dead in the kennel. Then this morning I found my Indian runner dead. Any ideas what could be going on? I don’t think it is a snake because the other ducks are fine and the ducklings have looked healthy when I put them up at night. Could the other ducklings be killing each other?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd say you have a predator. When you say dog kennel is it the chain-link kind? and do you have hardware cloth over that and a top so Nothing can get inside? With those bites to the neck possibly a mink or weasel. They rarely eat just kill. Minks can get through 1" openings. Slaughter everyone and leave to come back and kill the rest. I am very sorry for your losses.
Where the duckling pulled through the kennel or tried to be pulled through? if so you maybe dealing with raccoons too. And all predators climb.

 

[Mreeves]

I'd say you have a predator. When you say dog kennel is it the chain-link kind? and do you have hardware cloth over that and a top so Nothing can get inside? With those bites to the neck possibly a mink or weasel. They rarely eat just kill. Minks can get through 1" openings. Slaughter everyone and leave to come back and kill the rest. I am very sorry for your losses.
Where the duckling pulled through the kennel or tried to be pulled through? if so you maybe dealing with raccoons too. And all predators climb.

No, it doesn’t appear that anything attempted to pull them through the kennel, and yes I have hardware cloth around the lower half of the kennel and a yard covering the rest to shelter them from rain and condensation. I live in central Texas and haven’t seen any monks or weasels.

 

[Mreeves]

No, it doesn’t appear that anything attempted to pull them through the kennel, and yes I have hardware cloth around the lower half of the kennel and a yard covering the rest to shelter them from rain and condensation. I live in central Texas and haven’t seen any monks or weasels.

Also I just had three goslings in the same pen before the ducklings were moved in and didn’t have any issues like this.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Those bites are not from the other ducklings. Something def got in there. Big rats? Post those pictures on the predator pest forum here on BYC and see what they have to say.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/predators-and-pests.13/
I'd be interested in seeing what others think. Sure sounds like they were well protected.
Rarely do we see minks/weasels etc. Predators are opportunistic and rarely come around when humans are present. A game camera may help you identify what's coming around when your not around.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Do you have a pic of the set up? Even if nothing got to your goslings previously, a predator has definitely found your ducklings. I'm doubting mink or weasel because they will kill anything making a move - which your ducklings would be doing - if there was one in the set up.

 

[Mreeves]

Picture was taken from our porch and we leave the lights on at night.

 

[ibarbidahl]

I would go through that pen with a fine tooth comb. Check the hay for ants or other bugs - rats certainly can do that as well - but usually if they kill they eat the toes, etc. A game camera is your best bet. Meanwhile is there somewhere safer you can put them until you figure it out? Most predator's will return again and again once they find a food source.
I'm so sorry for your loss. :-(

 

[Crazy Maizie]

It looks like just about anything could get in there especially snakes, weasels, minks, rats, and mice. I'm almost betting snake. Post this in the predator forum. You will get more responses regarding the type of predator.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Here's a thread with a duck bitten by a snake.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-bitten-by-snake-multiple-times.1244340/

I agree about placing the remaining ducks in a safer set up because whatever it is will be back.