Lost my poor smudge

[artsyrobin]

Lost smudge overnite to a predator, Angel was ok, hiding under the chicken coop- she seems to understand- whatever it was found a weak spot in the hardware cloth...i am so sad... i need to rethink their enclosure now.... would it be possible since she is just 5 weeks old to introduce a couple new ducklings so she won' get lonely?

 

[Toast n Jelly]

I don't know, for sure but no harm in trying and maybe introducing the new ones slowly.
Sorry about Smudge

 

[bird]

I am so sorry...

 

[Goat_Walker]

Im sorry

I have a Smudge as well, and lost her sister Bertha to a predator overnight a few months ago

I have a four week old duckling that Ive introduced with my 26 day old ducklings. If you have a larger number ( four - five) youngsters you might be able to. There will of course be contraversy with the older duck pecking the younger ones but mine has grown out of it and just nips at the little ones when they are in the way. You could try it but its not a garuntee it will work.

 

[artsyrobin]

i am sorry- first predator attack for me, except for our dog-

will be getting her a friend tomorow - about her same age- then back to rebuilding a duckhouse and run to make sure there isn't a repeat- s frustrating!

 

[aduckstolemyheart]

I am so sorry for your loss.

I could not even imagine losing one of mine.

After reading all these posts here, of birds being lost to predators, I am going out next to buy supplies to make stronger, better housing for my ducks. I have the chicken wire pen now for my drake, and an x-large dog crate with 1' spacing for the ducklings, and a fence surrounding those. After reading all these posts, I know that the wire is inadequate, and if a coon decided to it could snag one of the ducklings through the bars.

Time for a revamp of my coops too.

So sad to hear these kinds of stories.

 

[artsyrobin]

well, i know it is the nature of the predators, but i won't forget that lesson- i think they need to be locked in at nite, no matter how secure a fence might be- so to decide how best to make a secure house for them

 

[aduckstolemyheart]

Yeah, I never leave my ducks out at night. We don't have a big coon problem here, but I have seen one before and will not be taking any chances.

This is just a reminder that the best laid plans are not always sufficient.

 

[chickboss]

Sorry for your loss. So far, I have had very good luck with electric fencing, but we are not very far along in our duck adventure yet. However, the area we have surrounded with electric netting is just off the house, and a skunk hit it the other night and sprayed. We saw him up on the hill not too far off looking down towards the pen, and since all my dogs were in the house, I know they didn't spook it into spraying. The dog started barking her head from inside the house and I went out to check it out and was hit with a wall of skunk smell. Wanted to shoot it for even trying. But the fence did its job.

 

[artsyrobin]

thats really something- wonder what that skunk was thinking- thats what has suprised me with this attack- our coop is attached to the house, the run is half under our porch extending out- so that coon must have been pretty bold... we did get Angel a friend today, a young khaki - right now she is in a cage since i'm not sure abut how to integrate them- let them see each other today and see how they interact tomorow...