Ducks snatched literally right under my Nose. I awoke this morning and two of my ducks are missing. No harm to the rest of the flock just two missing ducks. I know there have been some critters out here now & then-because occasionally the ducks will come sleep near the house. What kind of critter would come onto the porch of a house that is in the middle of a 24 acre hay field, snatch two ducks, leave no trace of feathers anywhere and cause no alarm from my dogs?
Coyotes - they're pretty stealthy and brazen. Are your dogs inside at night? You might want to consider making a place to lock your ducks up for the night, or you'll lose them all. Coyotes (or any other predator for that matter) will continue to return until the food source (your ducks) are all gone.
Hi, I've was browsing while I hopefully wait on a reply from someone on my thread and I stumbled upon this in the "Poultry predator identification" thread: Birds Missing Missing chickens or ducks were likely carried off by a fox, coyote, dog, bobcat, owl, or hawk. One time I was working in my yard and could only watch helplessly when a hawk swooped down and carried off a full-grown banty hen that had been happily scratching in the orchard. Although we rarely lose a full-grown bird to hawks, we take great care to enclose chicks, ducklings, and goslings, as these small birds are particularly attractive to hawks and other predators. Tracks are not easy to find in a busy poultry yard, unless you go looking early after a rain. This track is the rear foot of a raccoon. Photos by Gail Damerow.
