I have today off, and walking past the window I glanced out to nothingness. No chickens, no ducks. The duck door was closed by the wind, so they 'might' have gone inside but it is unusual not to see a chicken. I went out to check, a little nervously, to find no ducks in the coop. No duck prints leading somewhere in the snow. I ran over to the chicken coop, and there was a duck lying inside, all the chickens pressed into a corner with the bantam rooster standing in front, and the standard rooster - with blood on his spurs - standing near the door. The duck was unhurt. None of the chickens were hurt. No missing chickens.
I panic, suspecting something had grabbed the other 4 ducks, including the drake, because I can't hear them. The drake is always quacking, especially when I call his name. I follow the dog prints for a bit expecting to see blood or a dead body but there's about 3 feet of snow and I won't be going anywhere like that. I walk back, call for the ducks, put some food out, still nothing.
Eventually I lie down on the snow and look under the chicken coop where they sometimes go, and I saw two ducks lying there. They were looking at me but still silent. I tried to get them out so I could put them in their own coop and lock everyone up for safety but they weren't going anywhere, and I still couldn't see the drake or the third female.
So I finally decide maybe if they see one duck out they'll come out, so I shoo the duck inside the chicken coop out, and sure enough, all FOUR ducks come sliding out under the coop. No one was hurt, couldn't see any blood. Locked everyone in.
My guess is a dog came by, four slid under, one jumped into the chicken coop in panic, and the standard rooster slashed its nose or face when it tried to enter. Since the dog wasn't here for food and was probably just bored it ran off after. I suspect a coyote or hungry animal to have kept trying, which is why I don't think it's one of them.
Now to find our who's dog it was and let them know... our electric fence wire is mostly buried under the snow and non-functional so they are, for all purposes, 'sitting ducks'.
I panic, suspecting something had grabbed the other 4 ducks, including the drake, because I can't hear them. The drake is always quacking, especially when I call his name. I follow the dog prints for a bit expecting to see blood or a dead body but there's about 3 feet of snow and I won't be going anywhere like that. I walk back, call for the ducks, put some food out, still nothing.
Eventually I lie down on the snow and look under the chicken coop where they sometimes go, and I saw two ducks lying there. They were looking at me but still silent. I tried to get them out so I could put them in their own coop and lock everyone up for safety but they weren't going anywhere, and I still couldn't see the drake or the third female.
So I finally decide maybe if they see one duck out they'll come out, so I shoo the duck inside the chicken coop out, and sure enough, all FOUR ducks come sliding out under the coop. No one was hurt, couldn't see any blood. Locked everyone in.
My guess is a dog came by, four slid under, one jumped into the chicken coop in panic, and the standard rooster slashed its nose or face when it tried to enter. Since the dog wasn't here for food and was probably just bored it ran off after. I suspect a coyote or hungry animal to have kept trying, which is why I don't think it's one of them.
Now to find our who's dog it was and let them know... our electric fence wire is mostly buried under the snow and non-functional so they are, for all purposes, 'sitting ducks'.
