I know what it is like to lose animal friends! I hate selling mine cause they can be so gentle with you! I know a friend who lost 9 chickens due to a neighbor who disliked chickens and he let his dang dog in his chicken lot and he killed all them.
I'm so sorry! I just lost a duck to a middle of the day hawk attack. No matter what we do, there are predators out there. My sister in law lost plenty of ducks that were locked up due to persist raccoons. All we can do is love them and give them the best home we can. You gave them a wonderful life. I hope once your heart heals, you try again. You sound like a wonderful ducky owner.
I'm so sorry. I can tell that you loved them very much and they knew it. That means they had a wonderful life, even if it was shorter than hoped. Since you are still mourning their loss, it may be too soon to replace them, but you may find yourself with new ducks sooner than you realize. Try not to feel guilty, unfortunately it sometimes happens, we just have to learn from it and do our best.
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I had ducks as pets, and I haven't heard of chickens being as bonding or pet-like. I do love chickens though, but I don't think I have the tools necessary and doubt my parents will respond to that shift in interest. It was really ducks I wanted
Well I am so sorry that your little guys are gone.
Maybe it's too soon to talk troubleshooting instead of sympathies... but if they were found killed by something but not eaten, they were probably killed by a dog that chased them for fun, not hunger, yours or a neighbor's.
I felt the same way you describe when I lost my first ferret. She was still a baby when she got into a full bath tub by herself and drowned. It may have not been something you could have anticipated but it doesn't make you feel any better to know that you allowed it to occur.