Poor Jim :(

[Yanna]

We live on a small lot in the city but for many months enjoyed a pair of free ranging Cayuga drakes in our yard. They slept in a dog crate in the garage at night and by day they had a pond and access to several beds of nice greens for forage.

Two weeks ago, when I took the chicken coop down from inside of the garage in order to use the garage for something else, I finally decided to split them up, rehoming the more aggressive one, as both were chasing and biting us constantly in the yard. The one we kept, Jim, was frantic to come inside the garage day and night, where he was no longer allowed, and at sundown he was difficult to catch to put into the large dog carrier outside which served as his temporary sleeping quarters (I have a large sturdy dog house I was meaning to install a door and vents on).

Last night I got sick of playing "catch the duck" at sundown and gave up early and went inside...heard animals outside my window (on the other side of the house) around 11...and this morning found poor Jim's body under one of the apple trees, horribly mangled.

This was entirely my fault. I'm still in shock - my daughter is devastated - and now I'm worried about the chickens we have under our porch whose housing is not 100% secure (again, temporary housing, although wrapped in hardware cloth).

Our poor Jim.

He's the one in front with the yellow bill.

 

[newchickmom09]

That is so sad.

I can't imagine how your daughter feels. We only had to rehome two roos a couple of months ago and my two kids were so upset and begged to go visit them every single day.

I would try to reenforce the chickens cage with anything you have in your yard. Now there is an animal out there that knows there is food in your yard. Even lining there fence with lawn chairs that way if anything tried to get threw you would hear it and if you turned on an outside light hopefully it would run away.

Hope everything works out good.

 

[kcardella]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I know how hard it is.

 

[Cetawin]

I am so sorry. Try not to beat yourself up about it...learn from it and move on. I know how hard it is to watch a daughter have a broken heart over a pet.

She will be fine in time.

I would be very concerned about the chickens if they are not secure...whatever got him will be back...he was first because he was easy and out in the open. Time to put a trap out.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

I'm so sorry, that must have been a devastating discovery.

It's the awful reality of the preditor and prey relationship.
Sometimes these difficult experiences help a child develop a more sophisticated maturity over time.
Anyway thank you for telling us about it, this could remind others to take the extra steps that will prevent that fom happening to their flocks.