Missing ducks

[Lulu1957]

We recently decided to revitalize our non working farm with ducks, turkeys, chickens and quail. We took an old hog house, that has a cement floor & steel roof, and converted it into sections for each. Each night they are all put away and doors closed. One morning we arrived to let them all out, and our 5 ducklings were missing totally!!! They were about 8 weeks old. No body parts, not a feather, only a small spray of blood on the wall. There was only a small gap in the door and it certainly wouldn't have been big enough to get an 8 week duck out of. The 23 chickens sectioned off by a hog panel were untouched. We live in North Central Indiana, does anyone have a clue what kind of predator could do that?? I am heartbroken over my poor ducklings. We put out a trail camera that has gotten several pictures of raccoons, but they are so big and fat, I don't see how they could have gotten in.

 

[tomcatbubba]

Human? If the ducks were Muscovy they have SHARP claws on their feet and could certainly draw blood from a human. Not sure if you want to spend the money, but you could probably get enough of a scraping to get a cheap DNA sample to see if it is human blood. Regardless, I'd lock the other birds up.

 

[Lulu1957]

We had just put up a 6' tall run for them outside out of hog panels with a pond to be tried out the next day. The way it was put up, no human would be able to climb it without it falling over. It was just secured with baling twine.

 

[Kevin565]

It's very strange for a predator to take 5 ducklings that old and not leave a trail. My guess would also be a possible human.

 

[jak2002003]

If the ducklings could not fit out the gap in the door, then a predator would also not be able to get them out whole.

If it chewed them up there would be evidence.

I also think someone stole you ducks. If it was so hard to get in, how did you do it the next day?

 

[Lulu1957]

I know it is hard to visualize, but we separated each end of the hog houses into separate quarters. The ducks inside area was separated by a 6' tall old gate, (covered with mesh) inserted to the side of the entrance door from front to back, plus a blue tarp from top of gate to ceiling so there would be no flying of chickens to ducks or ducks to chickens. My husband had lifted me into their pen when we set it up that night, so I could spread their bedding and put their waterers and feeders and heat lamp in. The gate was held to the inside hog house walls by baling twine. The entrance door into the hog (now chicken) house just had a snap hasp, but the door actually just opened only into the chicken area portion. Not very convenient, but we planned to change it the next morning. The ducks had been in the other hog house, separated from the quail, but that didn't work out very well because the quail were flyers from the start and kept getting in with the ducks. The houses are located about 1/4 mile from any country road, in the back of the barn lot of my sisters place, and for any human to (1) know they were there (2) get into only the duck area without knocking the gate trying to climb it with it held by baling twine (3) get into the side door that was protected by a 6' high fence outside only held up by baling twine, seems improbable. I have to say that we are all mystified by this. There is a small, maybe 2" opening where the eaves meet the walls, but unless it were a mink or weasel or snake I don't know how they would squeeze in. Then after eating 5 ducks complete body parts, I don't know how they could get out!!

 

[sumi]

Sorry about your ducks. Sounds like theft...

 

[MallardDuckling]

and

from Ohio.

I agree with everyone else. An animal would have left a trail, or a clue to as what it was that got your birds. It really does sound like someone got in and stole your ducklings.
I'm very sorry about your loss.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

Sorry to hear about your loss - good time to put the game cam to use

 

[Lulu1957]

We have had it out every night since for sure. If we weren't in the boonies, I would agree on the human part. The cattle guard leading into the barnlot would signal humans if they drove in and we didn't hear anything that night. I am just heartbroken and can't stop wondering about the last few minutes of their lives