We lost our first duck this morning- a Welsh Harlequin named Jemima. Found her out behind the fence decapitated with a hold in her side. I’m the most frustrated that whatever got her didn’t eat more. Is that silly? I don’t know. Just feels like an awful waste for everyone involved. I try to think of them as farm animals and not pets since I know there are about 1000 ways for a duck to get it but it doesn’t really help in the moment. We had them a year this week too. A real gut check. And she just started laying regularly... she was my late bloomer. Just a pointless, frustrating loss. Poor mean Jemima was the duck on the right.
I am so sorry I remember when they were babies and we watched them grow up. Very sorry for your loss Did a predator get inside your pen?
Sorry. Last year i hatched a baby duck it was the only one for 2 weeks, I got really attached to the little girl Rouen. She followed me everywhere. I have a lot of ducks and they get killed all the time so I put her and her little duck friend in the shed so she'd be safe and a raccoon got in and ripped her head and guts out. Raccoon was swiftly in raccoon hell when my boys saw me wreaked with sadness.
So sorry for your loss. Even looking at them as farm animals, it's hard not to get attached when you go out every day and feed them, talk to them, and watch them play in the water. We have lost too many ducks on our property and it is awful every time.
I'm so sorry for your loss. She was beautiful! We lost one of our Welsh harlequins to an owl last fall so I completely understand. We try our best to protect them but sometimes things happen beyond our control.
Thank you everyone for the sweet remarks. I have gotten a lot of support today but I knew I wanted to share with people who truly understand. It’s tough when we only had three to start with (small yard.) The loss is really noticeable. Thanks Lydia. Jemima was my little baby with niacin deficiency and you made all the difference with your guidance. Fortunately nothing got in their pen. I let them out in the yard when we’re home. We were almost a year with no incidents and I think we just got lax about our security measures.
My husband thinks it was a fox but I think it was a raccoon. She was just behind the fence out back and her head was gone but that was basically it. I feel like a fox would have eaten more/taken her with it.