Fox attack

[mumma duck]

Can anyone please help me with any advice. A fox got into my duck pen thismorning I heard them quacking a different noise and sent my partner to check on them and he interupted the attack. We lost one completely and got to another just in time.she is bleading from her neck.ive had her inside in a washing basket and blanket and she is very quiet and still but alive. When I went to check on my other 2 at daylight one of them also has blood coming from under her wing and a bit on her leg. She is also very upset and quiet. Ive brought them all inside to be together in my sun room. I dont know what to do about the bleeding especially the neck one as I don't think she can lift her neck up and I don't want to force it to look incase I hurt her more. .any advice would be appreciated

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can anyone please help me with any advice. A fox got into my duck pen thismorning I heard them quacking a different noise and sent my partner to check on them and he interupted the attack. We lost one completely and got to another just in time.she is bleading from her neck.ive had her inside in a washing basket and blanket and she is very quiet and still but alive. When I went to check on my other 2 at daylight one of them also has blood coming from under her wing and a bit on her leg. She is also very upset and quiet. Ive brought them all inside to be together in my sun room. I dont know what to do about the bleeding especially the neck one as I don't think she can lift her neck up and I don't want to force it to look incase I hurt her more. .any advice would be appreciated

You really need to see how badly she is injured, what if she needs stitches? they are in shock for one thing, both of them need to be examined really well. to see the extent of their injuries. you can use some salt water or watered down betadine and wash their wounds out really well, then keep them in a quiet place and offer some water with some electrolytes and vitamins in it, you can also offer food but it may rtake them a while to begin eating mainly deal with their wounds and keep them warm and quiet. And while they are healing make sure you don't have to go through this again by making sure your pen and duck house are predator proof. It's amazing what a predator will do to get to our flocks. Wrap this one with the neck wound in a towel and gently lift her neck so you can see where the wound is and how bad, but beleive me ducks can live through horrendous attacks if given the chance and taken care of. Very sorry for your loss.

 

[mumma duck]

Thank you.the fox actually broke the latch and opened the gate I can't believe it I thought it was impossible to get into..im devastated.my partner just checked the neck its still bleeding a bit but she moved it a little .we gave it a wash with salt water and then coated it in cornflour to try and stop the bleeding. I found a homemade electrolyte remedy which I have just given them a drink of too. She has drank a little bit each time I offer it so I hope that's a good sign. Im going to keep them inside for a few day aswell.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

X2

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you.the fox actually broke the latch and opened the gate I can't believe it I thought it was impossible to get into..im devastated.my partner just checked the neck its still bleeding a bit but she moved it a little .we gave it a wash with salt water and then coated it in cornflour to try and stop the bleeding. I found a homemade electrolyte remedy which I have just given them a drink of too. She has drank a little bit each time I offer it so I hope that's a good sign. Im going to keep them inside for a few day aswell.

Please keep us updated on them. we're pulling for them both, so one wasn't injured at all in the attack ?

 

[mumma duck]

Thankyou, thats right 1 of them is fine with not a scratch on her but ive kept her inside with the other 2 to keep them all together she is prob a bit shaken up anyway but seems quite well. Do ducks take a while to recover emotionally after loosing one of thier group? Ive had the 4 of them together since they were 1 day old I imagine seeing their friend get killed would have some impact on them? They look so sad

 

[Amiga]

Yes, ducks go through all kinds of emotions. They have witnessed their friend killed, they can experience trauma and grief, based on what I have seen.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thankyou, thats right 1 of them is fine with not a scratch on her but ive kept her inside with the other 2 to keep them all together she is prob a bit shaken up anyway but seems quite well. Do ducks take a while to recover emotionally after loosing one of thier group? Ive had the 4 of them together since they were 1 day old I imagine seeing their friend get killed would have some impact on them? They look so sad

Give them time and plenty of TLC they will recover but this has been traumatic to say the least. Not just for them but you too.

 

[arnaudgf]

Good luck with the injured ducks.

We had a similar issue with one of our Khaki Campbell. She got hurt to the neck (still not sure what got her though).

It took her a while to recover as she was hurting badly and probably very shaken since her friend got killed in front of her.

We kept her inside for a couple of night to make sure she was safe and warm.

The first days weren't easy as she was barely eating, but we kept the food and water close by and propped up (the wound on her neck prevented her from bending it down to eat/drink). I think that for the first 2-3 days, all she ate were meal worm treats, not the most balanced diet, but at least I was glad she ate something.

But it's been three weeks now and she's almost fully healed and started laying again

Ducks seems to be pretty hardy and recover if you give them time and help them out .

And as the others said, use that time to figure out how to make the pen safer. Unfortunately, safety often increases by trial and mistakes :/

 

[gilbert2]

Last year a coyote broke the latch on my duck coop and ate/stole two of my three ducks. The remaining little guy was so traumatized, he was in total shock. The entire next day, he would not eat, drink, or hold his head up. The following day, he died. This is pretty convincing proof for me, at least, that ducks have emotions. And of course I had checked the little guy for wounds, but physically he was unattacked--not even a ruffled feather.

This year, I am using a system that is ten times stronger!! I do not think that ANY predator has a chance of getting inside. After the heartbreak of that episode, I take animal attacks very seriously.

Good luck!