I'm heartbroken đź’”

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Drastil

In the Brooder
Jun 3, 2025
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I had just gotten four ducklings last week and I thought everything was going fine... Had a spot set up on the front porch for them, and this morning I was tending to my garden out back... I didn't hear the usual peeps and such from the porch... I got to the spot and no ducklings... No tufts, no blood, no nothing. Just a single small feather that looks like a hawk feather... My husband sleeps near that side of the house and hear no commotion... I hoped they got out somehow but we spent a couple hours searching for them... Nothing... Even brought the dogs out to see if they'd hear them or sniff them out... Nothing... Would the hawk have gotten all four in the same night??? I'm guessing probably so but... I have hope... The pic of the lost littles...
IMG_20250602_144845355.jpg
 
What did you do to protect against predators? Can you post pictures of the enclosure they were in? We can probably help you secure the enclosure for the future if you post pictures.

So many, many predators will happily eat ducklings. It's really hard to even guess what happened with no evidence.
 
FunClucks said:
What did you do to protect against predators? Can you post pictures of the enclosure they were in? We can probably help you secure the enclosure for the future if you post pictures.

So many, many predators will happily eat ducklings. It's really hard to even guess what happened with no evidence.
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I admit that we were being wishful I suppose with the setup (super new) and didn't think a hawk would come in under our porch. Believe me when I say my husband and I are going to wire up the kennel and close in the future babies when we're not watching them. We're also planning on getting a wired poultry run(hopefully a 10' x 20') for the front yard and putting bird netting around the whole porch in the near future. When we get another good paycheck or two. (We already spent our excess income on things recently.)
IMG_20250529_161108375.jpg

I suppose this post is more a question about if I should still be out there looking for possible survivers...
 
Drastil said:
I admit that we were being wishful I suppose with the setup (super new) and didn't think a hawk would come in under our porch. Believe me when I say my husband and I are going to wire up the kennel and close in the future babies when we're not watching them. We're also planning on getting a wired poultry run(hopefully a 10' x 20') for the front yard and putting bird netting around the whole porch in the near future. When we get another good paycheck or two. (We already spent our excess income on things recently.)View attachment 4139944
I suppose this post is more a question about if I should still be out there looking for possible survivers...
Click to expand...
I think it was raccoon, I'm sorry, they can reach through those bars.
 
nuthatched said:
I think it was raccoon, I'm sorry, they can reach through those bars.
Click to expand...
Huh, I would have thought there would be more evidence for a raccoon? The bedding inside the kennel wasn't even disturbed any more than usual. And I would have thought the dogs would go crazy if they smelled a raccoon nearby. (I have a dog that will alert me to where rats have been if they get out of the breeding racks) well, got a suggestion to help with that then?
 
Drastil said:
I admit that we were being wishful I suppose with the setup (super new) and didn't think a hawk would come in under our porch. Believe me when I say my husband and I are going to wire up the kennel and close in the future babies when we're not watching them. We're also planning on getting a wired poultry run(hopefully a 10' x 20') for the front yard and putting bird netting around the whole porch in the near future. When we get another good paycheck or two. (We already spent our excess income on things recently.)View attachment 4139944
I suppose this post is more a question about if I should still be out there looking for possible survivers...
Click to expand...
I love the look of your setup, but it's not very secure, and poses significant risk for when you're not watching them.

As far as survivors, it depends on how long ago you lost them. If it was 15 minutes ago, I'd search for a bit as far as you think they could run, checking out anything that looks like a hiding place (shrubs, underneath the porch, stacks of stuff in the yard, etc). Unfortunately, I don't think your odds are good, but if it were me, I would at least want to check to make sure I didn't miss them. After about an hour or so, I'd probably give it up.

Racoons, rats, snakes, cats, foxes, etc. can reach through the bars of your wire dog crate. I actually covered one of my crates with 1/2" hardware cloth using metal zip ties - it was a pain but worth it to me for the increased security of the crate.

Any flying creature or thing that can jump or climb or push could easily come over top of your barriers into the run area.

Hardware cloth (1/2") and a secure run area are the best defenses. Chicken wire is only useful for keeping chickens in an area, will not keep ANY predators out. It may seem to work for a while since predators may see a visual barrier, but the moment they test it, they can get through it. So many critters can chew through it and push through it. Welded wire (1"x2") can also be helpful as a support for the hardware cloth, and cattle panels are often used to support hardware cloth in hoop coops, if that's of interest. Metal roof panels can also be helpful to provide barriers in key areas. Metal zip ties are your friend. Regular staples can be pulled out by racoons, landscaping heavy duty staples generally can't, but I prefer radial washers and screws to secure hardware cloth to wood.

There are a lot of ideas here on this site that could help you. Good luck sorting things out!

I really hope you find some of your babies. I think the odds are low, but would be loved to be proved wrong.
 

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