Lost Flipper to Unknown Predator

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Oh my! What a terrible story!
I lust my drake Donald recently, but he vanished without a trace so i did not have to look at a horrific kill-site. What can i say? We all do our best to keep our babies safe but it is an arms race and sometimes we are being out-smarted.
Sorry for Duchess! Are you going to trap that weasel? It will come back for more.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think your wonderful for taking them to the emergency vet. Not many of us have that available. Hope they pull through. Look up mink,weasel in that family and see if you have them in your area.

 

[chickens really]

I hope you figure out what's after the Ducks..Sorry you lost one. That's excellent you took them to the Vet. No one here has enough experience to help. Plus can't see the extent of injuries to the birds. Best wishes to you and your Ducks..

 

[casportpony]

I am very glad you were able to get them in to see a vet. I hope all make a complete recovery.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We're here for you to give you as much support as we can. and to help in anyway we can!

 

[WVduckchick]

So sorry for your loss! Glad the other 3 survived and hope they make full recoveries.

Predators that are successful usually come back. Could you set up a camera of any kind? Trail cameras (like for deer hunting, etc) or home security cameras have come down in cost in recent years. I recently added a couple of WiFi cameras that can be observed from anywhere on smartphones. Like $20 each. https://www.wyze.com/

 

[50-45-1]

Weasels kill by bitting the neck area. They are relentless killers and will wipe out your entire flock. Reletively easy to catch tho.
They will fit thru a hole that a mouse can, so a small gap is all that is needed.
He will be back. Most likely the next night.
I have had 2 weasels in my 30 years of chickens and caught them both the next night using a small have a heart trap and some of what they had killed the night before as bait.
I hope your ducks recover and you can rid yourself of your weasel or secure your coop so your flock is protected at night.

 

[Duckworth]

I spoke with a neighbor down the street this morning. She has chickens. They lost all of theirs one night last winter, so built a better coop this year. She said there is a giant raccoon living in the alley across the street from her house. She said it could easily be half the size of my 58-pound dog. Last night, after we moved the ducks indoors, my son saw a large black animal he didn’t recognize. He turned on the light and it took off, but my son said he saw red (blood) on its face. So I think we may be dealing with this huge raccoon.

I haven’t gone out to the duck pen yet. I’ve been busy going back to the vet and shoveling sidewalks and stairs. I will have to figure out how this critter got in and fortify my “over-engineered” duck habitat. Good thing I have more 1/2 inch hardware cloth and welded wire fencing to reinforce it with. My whole pen is hardware cloth or cedar, or pressure treated 3/4 inch plywood. There must be some spot I didn’t seal right. Or it cut/tore through the wire. The weather is supposed to turn a little warmer and melt this white stuff we have everywhere.

Feisty Girl’s stitches went in without incident. The ducks are starting to take some water and a little food.

 

[DuckyDonna]

So sorry for your loss! Glad the other 3 survived and hope they make full recoveries.

Predators that are successful usually come back. Could you set up a camera of any kind? Trail cameras (like for deer hunting, etc) or home security cameras have come down in cost in recent years. I recently added a couple of WiFi cameras that can be observed from anywhere on smartphones. Like $20 each. https://www.wyze.com/

I got excited when I saw the cameras and was ready to buy a couple but then found out they are only for indoor use

 

[DuckyDonna]

I spoke with a neighbor down the street this morning. She has chickens. They lost all of theirs one night last winter, so built a better coop this year. She said there is a giant raccoon living in the alley across the street from her house. She said it could easily be half the size of my 58-pound dog. Last night, after we moved the ducks indoors, my son saw a large black animal he didn’t recognize. He turned on the light and it took off, but my son said he saw red (blood) on its face. So I think we may be dealing with this huge raccoon.

I haven’t gone out to the duck pen yet. I’ve been busy going back to the vet and shoveling sidewalks and stairs. I will have to figure out how this critter got in and fortify my “over-engineered” duck habitat. Good thing I have more 1/2 inch hardware cloth and welded wire fencing to reinforce it with. My whole pen is hardware cloth or cedar, or pressure treated 3/4 inch plywood. There must be some spot I didn’t seal right. Or it cut/tore through the wire. The weather is supposed to turn a little warmer and melt this white stuff we have everywhere.

Feisty Girl’s stitches went in without incident. The ducks are starting to take some water and a little food.

So happy they are all doing well. What a horrible thing! I'm sure you'll find the hole and have it patched up soon!