need advice on treating ducks that were attacked

[DuckyDonna]

Thank you. Their sister, Dorothy, was one of the ones killed last night - she was soooo big and fluffy, I'm gonna miss snuggling her so much! View attachment 1704334

that is the biggest duck I've ever seen and she's beautiful too! Such a sad day and I'm so sorry for you and her.

 

[cymbaline]

Yes, a coyote or fox will most definitely take the entire body with very little if any blood or feathers as evidence. They will take it far off away from where they found it (or to a den) and will come back for more. Remember these animals are opportunists and will come back if given a chance. So so sorry for your loses. I had a fox kill 12 of my birds leaving 3 alive (only because they hid for 2 days and I couldn't even find them) so your lucky you have the ducks you still have. Good Luck

There's no way something as big as a coyote got in there, and I'd be shocked if a fox could, and if a fox would leave the ones it did so mildly injured...right? Good Lord, you lost 12... I'm so sorry.
Don't worry, my babies are most certainly not going back out overnight until I'm positive they're safe. I don't care if my entire house smells like duck poo, it's worth the peace of mind.

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Yeah it's amazing where a fox can fit and how high they can jump. Grey fox can actually climb trees.. like a cat. Most other animals eat where they kill except dogs who kill for sport will leave a mess and the body. It's interesting (if you can stomach it with just losing some babies) to research which animals of prey do what with the bodies. I only say this cause it will give you a solution to keeping your current babies safe for when it comes around next time. I do also have up 2 trail cameras that record around my coop.. I'm nosey and I like to know what's lurking where..

 

[Duckworth]

My avian specialist vet also recommended that I not clean up my ducks' wounds until several days after they were injured. He prescribed oral antibiotics. I did not give them bathing water for about a week, partly because one duck has stitches. The vet did tell me that I could gently hold a warm wet washcloth to the blood-matted feathers to begin to clean them up, but not to stress them or dislodge clots or scabs. I put a rubber mat and a thick towel covered by newspapers in the bathtub and have been running a space heater in the bathroom to keep my ducks nice and warm.

So your vet isn't the only one who gave that advice. My ducks are all recovering well.

I'm very sorry for your losses!

 

[cymbaline]

My avian specialist vet also recommended that I not clean up my ducks' wounds until several days after they were injured. He prescribed oral antibiotics. I did not give them bathing water for about a week, partly because one duck has stitches. The vet did tell me that I could gently hold a warm wet washcloth to the blood-matted feathers to begin to clean them up, but not to stress them or dislodge clots or scabs. I put a rubber mat and a thick towel covered by newspapers in the bathtub and have been running a space heater in the bathroom to keep my ducks nice and warm.

So your vet isn't the only one who gave that advice. My ducks are all recovering well.

I'm very sorry for your losses!

Okay, that's good to hear...so I'm not doing too bad according to that advice. They're in tub with a fleece blanket and a heater with a thermostat in the room. I did let them bathe but they didn't really do much, I guess they know better. Nobody got stitches though... maybe he could tell it wasn't that bad?

 

[Cayuga momma]

Do you have minks in your area? I've seen minks go right into rat holes and grab rats and run off with them. It's possible a mink could have gotten in there and decided the ducks were easier prey.
I'm so sorry for your losses

 

[Duckworth]

Okay, that's good to hear...so I'm not doing too bad according to that advice. They're in tub with a fleece blanket and a heater with a thermostat in the room. I did let them bathe but they didn't really do much, I guess they know better. Nobody got stitches though... maybe he could tell it wasn't that bad?

One of my ducks had a 1-1/2" gash on the top of her head, though she was not the most severely injured of my ducks. The most serious injury was the predator pulled one duck's upper bill away from her face so that she had a lot of bleeding and swelling in her sinuses and on her face. Neither of her eyes would open and she was mostly blind for the first week, but now seems to be able to see. Her bill is much more stable, now, according to the vet. Most of the matted blood is gone, now, ten days post attack.

 

[aart]

My avian specialist vet also recommended that I not clean up my ducks' wounds until several days after they were injured. He prescribed oral antibiotics. I did not give them bathing water for about a week, partly because one duck has stitches. The vet did tell me that I could gently hold a warm wet washcloth to the blood-matted feathers to begin to clean them up, but not to stress them or dislodge clots or scabs. I put a rubber mat and a thick towel covered by newspapers in the bathtub and have been running a space heater in the bathroom to keep my ducks nice and warm.

So your vet isn't the only one who gave that advice. My ducks are all recovering well.

Makes sense really, wouldn't want wounds reopened in potentially 'dirty' water.
Best of Duck Luck!

 

[cymbaline]

Do you have minks in your area? I've seen minks go right into rat holes and grab rats and run off with them. It's possible a mink could have gotten in there and decided the ducks were easier prey.
I'm so sorry for your losses

I've never seen them but I've heard they're around. The only critters I've ever seen in my yard are opossums, deer, rabbits, and occasionally a squirrel. Oh, and the stupid rats.
I'm thinking a good chunk of my safety plan is going to be to dig up about 6 inches of the dirt (well, mud) in the pen and run hardware cloth down and under and back up the other side, then put the dirt back. Then it doesn't matter if something burrows in from past the apron - they'll hit wire anywhere they try to pop up. And of course, shore up around the door, the only real weak spot.

 

[cymbaline]

One of my ducks had a 1-1/2" gash on the top of her head, though she was not the most severely injured of my ducks. The most serious injury was the predator pulled one duck's upper bill away from her face so that she had a lot of bleeding and swelling in her sinuses and on her face. Neither of her eyes would open and she was mostly blind for the first week, but now seems to be able to see. Her bill is much more stable, now, according to the vet. Most of the matted blood is gone, now, ten days post attack.

Oh my goodness! That sounds horrific...your poor babies...sorry you all had to go through that Good job on the recovery!
The side of Rose's face is a little swollen, and he did have some trouble getting her to open her bill at first, but she finally did and he was satisfied. It's not even bad enough to affect her sight on that side though.