My babies were all murdered!!

[leiya]

I haven't Ben locking the chicken/ duck coop on my big chickens and ducks, because the ducks like to lay just outside the coop! I know big mistake! I had 7 bantam babies in a rabbit type coop locked up! Well this morning I went out to feed, to my horror all of my big and bantams are laying dead all over my yard! I like in a rural town in town! With a big wooden fence! I do live by a creek tho. My Peking and Indian runner duck are missing and all I have left is a Rouen duck! The bottom if the Bantu coop was bolted and its now on the ground! There's big prints and slide prints all over the back yard!! I'm thinking coyote?! But I'm not sure! So tonight we are setting up the game camera and my husband is going to wait with his bow! Hopefully we can get whatever it was! I just hope it comes back when we are watching!!

 

[wesandsam]

that suck BIG time... hope you get what ever it was

 

[ten chicks]

I haven't Ben locking the chicken/ duck coop on my big chickens and ducks, because the ducks like to lay just outside the coop! I know big mistake! I had 7 bantam babies in a rabbit type coop locked up! Well this morning I went out to feed, to my horror all of my big and bantams are laying dead all over my yard! I like in a rural town in town! With a big wooden fence! I do live by a creek tho. My Peking and Indian runner duck are missing and all I have left is a Rouen duck! The bottom if the Bantu coop was bolted and its now on the ground! There's big prints and slide prints all over the back yard!! I'm thinking coyote?! But I'm not sure! So tonight we are setting up the game camera and my husband is going to wait with his bow! Hopefully we can get whatever it was! I just hope it comes back when we are watching!!

This is terrible,so very sorry for your loss. Reinforce all coops,cages with hardware cloth,chicken wire will not stop predators,they just rip through it like cardboard. Dig hardware cloth at least 12 " under ground around chicken run. Predator will probably be back,he knows that there is easy food for him.

 

[leiya]

My husband promised he would get it when it comes back! I have one lonely duck left. We aren't getting my chicks til next year so we can get the predator. and I live in Oklahoma we have had so much rain and bad weather this year that its just best we wait on babies! Will my one duck left be ok without his buddies?!?!

 

[tadpole98]

My husband promised he would get it when it comes back! I have one lonely duck left. We aren't getting my chicks til next year so we can get the predator. and I live in Oklahoma we have had so much rain and bad weather this year that its just best we wait on babies! Will my one duck left be ok without his buddies?!?!

Okay, first off, what did they look like? coyotes, foxes, and most other predators take their food. Could it have been a weasel? Please describe or post a photo of what happened. If its a weasel you will have some major predator proofing to do, those things are rotten.

Immediately, as in today, put your duck somewhere secure. a kennel in the garage, or something. Chances are the predator will be back. Let your duck out supervised, then put her back in when you dont have time.

Time to make a new run. Make it as big you can. Use hardware cloth, nothing else! Chicken wire was designed to keep chickens in but not predators out. Other things are too big. Might bury some wire too to keep digging predators out.. I think once you get your run done you can get him/her another friend.

 

[PalmersPeepers]

I am so sorry for your loss. That is truly heartbreaking

 

[wesandsam]

Quote:
It's way easier if you put the fence a few inchen under and go out from you run. A predator wont back up to dig down, they will stop at the runs fance and try to dig down from the vertical part. I used chain link fancing for my under ground part cause you can get it free online if you look. The way ten chicks said is just as good, but a little mor work.

 

[Yoda]

Okay, first off, what did they look like? coyotes, foxes, and most other predators take their food. Could it have been a weasel? Please describe or post a photo of what happened. If its a weasel you will have some major predator proofing to do, those things are rotten.

Foxes and coyotes will kill and eat what they can then if they can will kill as many as they can before moving on. I lost 12 birds on May 10th and the fox came back on May 29th and killed 11 more. It just went around killing for fun so yes it is a dog predator. I did catch my fox, beat it with a 2x2x36inch pole. Knocked it out. Roommate stopped me from killing it and the game guy told me to kill it or set it free. I put it in jail for a week and then the game guy came back to my house and said I had to do something that I cannot keep it in "jail" cause it is illegal so the guy at the farm took care of it. I do not know if he killed it or let it go - he never said. I am always watching my pens now. Thinking of putting up electric netting "chicken wire" or electric "goat fencing" seen it in the Jeffer's supply book for $126 - 225 for 165 feet. says keeps animal in and predators out.

 

[theoldchick]

How sad. Sorry.

 

[leiya]

Well we know who did it, we just can't prove it! It was a neighborhood dog. My husband found our white Pekin duck Aflack down at this house dead. And then today the dog had a dead cat. Not sue if we should confront the people or not! We have one traumatized duck left and we are giving to a friend with a pond and other ducks! This is soooo horrible!! They were my babies!!