NOT how I wanted to wake up!

I roll out of bed and husband comes running up the steps asking if I'm awake. Yeah... kinda... what's up?

"Something happened to one of your ducks"

"WHAT???"

"I think it was a coon!"

"Are the rest of them dead too then?"

"No, just one"

So off I go. He's telling how he had let them out at usual after the dogs had their first trip out and a half hour later he ran outside when he heard a commotion. I asked him what the crime scene looked like... spray of feathers, marks on the back. Oh, gotcha, Mr Red Tail! Not a coon. Good thing, it was daylight, and if the coons come out in the day around here, it's because they're sick. Too much action in the neighborhood.

This has not been my year for ducks. I've seen the hawks around, a pair of them, and a young one, Red Tails. Also have a pair of Peregrine cruising around. Husband didn't see anything, he made a ton of noise running on the back porch and crashing through leaves so it must have flown off before he rounded the corner of the garage.

I don't understand why she's dead. To look at the wounds... hardly any blood at all, the gashes on the back barely broke skin! Totally fix-able with short healing time. Must have been scared to death, her neck wasn't broken.

I'm not as upset about this one as I was over the one that ate the staple. Cost of free range time. But another hen???

We had what I thought was a hawk scare a couple weeks ago, I came outside to start chores and saw my Welsummer hen in the driveway alone, under the trailer. The rest were in the coop, besides Hammie, who had flown over the fence into a neighbors yard and was pacing to get back in. Had to climb over the fence and get her. So we stopped letting the chickens out since they are take-out size for hawks.

Didn't think a hawk would even bother with a 7-8 pound duck. It did. Dang. It waited me out for the 2 week no-freedom period after the failed attack too.

Jerk.