Lost Flipper to Unknown Predator

[Duckworth]

They are all still alive and on their feet. They all look either a little or a lot better. I think all of them have at least one usable eye. Some eyes are still pretty crusted over, but the vet said they would be fine. Nipper is in the worst shape. Flipper has started picking on her pretty hard, so I had to separate them. For the moment, I have put a folded cardboard box between two halves of the bathtub and put Nipper on her own end. I faced the box flaps going opposite directions on the floor of the tub and weighted them down with water buckets. The ducks can’t see each other, but they certainly can hear and smell each other. This is temporary until I can figure out better temporary indoor housing.

I haven’t dosed them with antibiotics yet this morning, but when I do, I’ll continue to gently clean them up with a damp washcloth. I have to clean out the bathtub today, too, since they spilled their food all over. They will need a clean towel in the bottom, too. I may put them in the crate Flipper was in once I don’t have to catch them to give antibiotics.

I looked at the outside of the pen this morning and still don’t know how something large could have gotten in. The weight of the snow and ice on the covering tarps is such that I would have a very hard time moving any part of it and would need a shovel to do it. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so maybe I’ll see something after the snow is washed away. The ice is several inches thick in some places. I love winter, but spring can’t come soon enough at this point.

 

[CrystaBub]

I think we're all feeling that way - hurry up Spring! You're doing great with your duckies!

 

[EdgewaterDucks]

Hi Duckworth. I missed this thread yesterday so I didn't extend my sympathies and sadness about Duchess. What a terrible thing. It sounds like you're on top of the situation, though, and helping to get the rest of the flock in a state of recovery. I had thought that those of us who are city-dwellers wouldn't have to worry so much about predators. Mine have survived every night outside for almost 2 years. Now I know better. My neighbor told me they saw a raccoon in my yard harassing the ducks a week or so ago. No one ended up hurt. My duckies have a small pond that I know they retreat to if they feel threatened. But alas, it's frozen now. So I share the sentiment expressed above by Crystabub: Spring needs to get here right quick!

 

[quackiemama]

We are supposed to have snow again starting today. I need sunshine, warmth and to grill outside again.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

We are supposed to have snow again starting today. I need sunshine, warmth and to grill outside again.

Yes please!
Woke up to this today:

And my grown up ducks had a breakdown...

 

[quackiemama]

Yes please!
Woke up to this today:

And my grown up ducks had a breakdown...

Oh I love your duckies. Oh wow so you are ahead of me in this storm. It is just now starting to snow here. Hopefully we don't get much this time. Fingers and toes crossed.

 

[Duckworth]

I wish I had that little snow.

Flipper’s face swelling is going down and she has no other injuries, so she is well on her way to health.

Feisty Girl is looking much more like herself. She has cleaned herself up and her feathers look really good. She still has one eye crusted over, but her other eye looks good.

Nipper’s face is a mass of dried blood and scabbing. One eye seems to be working well, despite the blood, etc., around it. The other eye is still crusted shut with dried blood. I keep gently soaking it with a warm washcloth, but there is so much dried up there that it will probably be awhile before I get it all off. I really don’t want to dislodge any clots or scabs, since she had quite a bit of blood loss up front. I also don’t want to traumatize her any more than necessary and having to segregate her—even just by a couple thicknesses of cardboard to protect her from Flipper’s relentless pecking/feather pulling—is traumatic enough for her. She spends all of her time up against the cardboard to be close to her sisters.

I managed to get their antibiotics down their bills, despite that none is even a little cooperative. As they feel better, they fight harder. But that gives me hope for positive outcomes.

I bought a smaller wire dog crate today so that I can move the ducks into crates when their antibiotics are gone. It will probably be mid next week before I can get their outdoor pen fortified enough for me to feel like they are as safe out there as I can possibly make them. The snow should melt, which will make it possible for me to remove all of the tarps and figure out how to seal the door even better. I will be adding more welded wire over the hardware cloth to make it harder to breach and will add wire on the outside of the frame where the windows just have wire on the inside of the frame. I’ve left the pen door blocked closed by the snow since we removed the ducks, so I won’t go in to see whether the coon somehow got through one of the duck house windows. The feed bins were knocked off the potting bench in the pen, but they were nearly empty, so they could have been knocked down by the ducks trying to fly up out of danger. Rain should start tonight and continue tomorrow. It will turn to ice overnights, but I hope it will melt the snow before that happens.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Great update. Being harder to medicate makes it tough for you but let’s you know they are doing so much better. Maybe soon they can have a warm bath and wash the remaining blood away. Fiesty Girl was the one with stitches? Will they dissolve on their own?

 

[HeiHeisMom]

While we were at church this evening, some predator breached our enclosed duck pen and killed Flipper and injured our other ducks. We don’t know how it got in, but will figure more out in the morning. The survivors are indoors in the bathtub on towels until morning. They don’t look badly injured, but there is some blood. I’m letting them be for now, since they seem to be in shock. All injuries appear to be to their necks. All of their eyes look okay. I’m waiting to clean them up until they have rested a bit.

So sorry for your lost.

 

[Duckworth]

Great update. Being harder to medicate makes it tough for you but let’s you know they are doing so much better. Maybe soon they can have a warm bath and wash the remaining blood away. Fiesty Girl was the one with stitches? Will they dissolve on their own?

The stitches will dissolve in a couple of weeks. I’m putting the bathtub cleanout until tomorrow when I will have more help. I had physical therapy today and I’m pretty sore. When I get the tub clean, I plan to fill it with warm water and give the ducks a chance to bathe a little. Feisty Girl probably should have limited bathing for several more days, but she looks the best of all of them, now. Flipper is still growing in the rest of her new feathers after a molt. Nipper has beautiful feathers except for her head wounds.

Once the ducks get a bath, then I’ll empty the tub again and get them set up in the clean tub again.