Recovering from weasel attack

[koalabee]

Hi folks,
I've been a longtime lurker, and this is my first post. I wish I were posting under happier circumstances, but I am hoping to get some sound advice.

Three nights ago a weasel got into the coop and killed three of our flock (2 ducks, 1 chicken). We now only have 1 duck and 1 chicken, both are female, just under a year old. We are keeping them together and they get along. The surviving duck seems to have a strained neck, she is mostly resting, spending most of her time in the shallow part of the pond. She seems to be gaining range of motion each day. This weekend reinforcing the coop and run with more hardware cloth.

Originally we were hoping our ducks would produce ducklings this year to expand our flock. We are trying to decide how to move forward. I was thinking of getting 1-3 adult ducks to introduce once she has recovered from her injury, and if that goes well, maybe getting some ducklings. Or would it be better to just introduce ducklings? We were not planning on getting more chickens, but now I'm wondering if it's okay to have just one, with the ducks. We've also considered trying to re-home them and just taking a break from poultry, but we are quite attached to them, but we're feeling a bit dejected after the whole thing.

Any suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh gosh so sorry for your loss, at least your duck and chicken have each other for comfort. I hope they are being kept in a very secure place till you work on securing where the attack happened.

Did you check under your ducks feathers for wounds? and she may have run into the wall trying to get away from the weasel and if that is what caused the sprain she should heal up fine but keep her quiet and safe.

Okay you know if you get ducklings it will be a while before you can let them be with your duck and chicken. They will need to be feathered enough to be outside for one and they will have to be introduced to your adults before they can be left alone with them.

Adults will have to be introduced slowly through fencing before putting everyone together but it can be done quicker. If you decide to go with adults check your animal shelter and also wild life rescues, here in NC there is Carolina Water fowl rescue and they are always needing forever homes for birds.

 

[onaharley]

Sorry for your loss!

Hi and welcome, sorry it's under these circumstances, where are you located?

 

[koalabee]

Oh gosh so sorry for your loss, at least your duck and chicken have each other for comfort. I hope they are being kept in a very secure place till you work on securing where the attack happened.

Did you check under your ducks feathers for wounds? and she may have run into the wall trying to get away from the weasel and if that is what caused the sprain she should heal up fine but keep her quiet and safe.

Okay you know if you get ducklings it will be a while before you can let them be with your duck and chicken. They will need to be feathered enough to be outside for one and they will have to be introduced to your adults before they can be left alone with them.

Adults will have to be introduced slowly through fencing before putting everyone together but it can be done quicker. If you decide to go with adults check your animal shelter and also wild life rescues, here in NC there is Carolina Water fowl rescue and they are always needing forever homes for birds.

That's a good point about the ducklings. I'm not sure about getting any at all this year. If the two of them can keep each other company enough, that would be fine, I just don't want them to be lonely. We are keeping them in a small, secure wood house for now, with some time on the pond under close supervision.

I'll look into the animal rescues in our area when she recovers.
Thanks for the advice.!

 

[koalabee]

Sorry for your loss!

Hi and welcome, sorry it's under these circumstances, where are you located?

Thanks! I've been enjoying this forum as a reader (lurker?) for quite awhile. Hopefully I'll have happier posts in the future. I'm in western Washington (state).

 

[onaharley]

No need for lurking, just jump in and start asking questions! No question are dumb and no concerns are too worrisome either, we are all learning here. That's what I love about this place!!! It' s a very supportive group

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYC! So glad you joined us except for the reason you did so. So sorry for your losses. Members of the weasel family are extremely efficient and effective killers. They also kill just for pleasure. I'm surprised that you had any survivors, as few birds as you had. Remember that a weasel can fit through any hole bigger in diameter than a quarter.

If you add more birds, chickens or ducks, since you only have one of each, the new arrivals will outnumber the old birds and may pick on the existing survivors. Just something to watch for. Some breeds of each are meaner than others. I hope which ever way you decide to go works out for you.

There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

Oh, if you haven't done so already, PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. Old folks like me will never remember from this thread. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!