We were thrilled to welcome our first brood of 9 runners last weekend - and since then it’s been friggin holocaust. 
The first morning out of the duckhouse their mom decided to lead them far from our lovely pond to a neighbor’s pond for some reason. When I found them there were only six - of which two had fallen down the pond drain and I had to crawl through the tunnel to get them out. Chased them all home, checked all the fences, left, and two hours later there are only five. Not a trace of four ducklings, they just vanished, poof. The next day one vanished while I was there in the ten minutes I wasn’t looking. Since then one disappears each morning. It’s got to be ours and the neighbors’ cats picking them off. But they also have a terrifying habit of wandering off or getting stuck on the other side of the fence while their mom freaks out running to and fro until finally she seems to not remember how many she has. I saw her once go off with the lot while one remained stuck under the duckhouse seemingly forgotten. Anyway, there are only two left now and I’m fairly horrified by the whole thing - no idea how these animals have made it 25 million years 
I assume runners - or this runner - is a particularly poor matriarch. Now I’m just trying to learn from my own mistakes before our other hen’s eggs hatch - cover even small holes in the fences, keep the cats’ bellies stuffed, keep my own distance from them, because my arrival can send them scattering. Any otiher tips would be much appreciated.
They’ve also thrown our feeding system for a loop, with one overnighting in the coop with her chicks (thus having the chick food available), one brooding outside (and seemingly eating nothing), and the drake never able to decide on sleeping inside (with the grain and the chicks) or out on the pond. In any case, there are slugs everywhere (slugs being our birds’ sole raison d’etre) and no one ever seems hungry (excpt the damn cats, obviously).
Pictured are the two cuties saved from the pond drain.
The first morning out of the duckhouse their mom decided to lead them far from our lovely pond to a neighbor’s pond for some reason. When I found them there were only six - of which two had fallen down the pond drain and I had to crawl through the tunnel to get them out. Chased them all home, checked all the fences, left, and two hours later there are only five. Not a trace of four ducklings, they just vanished, poof. The next day one vanished while I was there in the ten minutes I wasn’t looking. Since then one disappears each morning. It’s got to be ours and the neighbors’ cats picking them off. But they also have a terrifying habit of wandering off or getting stuck on the other side of the fence while their mom freaks out running to and fro until finally she seems to not remember how many she has. I saw her once go off with the lot while one remained stuck under the duckhouse seemingly forgotten. Anyway, there are only two left now and I’m fairly horrified by the whole thing - no idea how these animals have made it 25 million years I assume runners - or this runner - is a particularly poor matriarch. Now I’m just trying to learn from my own mistakes before our other hen’s eggs hatch - cover even small holes in the fences, keep the cats’ bellies stuffed, keep my own distance from them, because my arrival can send them scattering. Any otiher tips would be much appreciated. They’ve also thrown our feeding system for a loop, with one overnighting in the coop with her chicks (thus having the chick food available), one brooding outside (and seemingly eating nothing), and the drake never able to decide on sleeping inside (with the grain and the chicks) or out on the pond. In any case, there are slugs everywhere (slugs being our birds’ sole raison d’etre) and no one ever seems hungry (excpt the damn cats, obviously).
Pictured are the two cuties saved from the pond drain.
