So for the sake of brevity i’ll try to give you all as much info as i can without giving too much to read, because i really need some help identifying this predator before i lose my whole flock.
I think i have narrowed it down to a few likely culprits based on my research and the trends i’ve noticed. Last weekend was the first strike, two ducks dead, one duck maimed beyond recognition and somehow hid long enough under the deck to survive. She is making a recovery inside our house in a quarantined shower. Every duck was attacked in the same way, the front and back of their necks removed, with some small rips and punctures, two of them had a lot of missing feathers on their rump. Happened late at night. Tragic because none of their meat was eaten. Their heads and brains were unscathed. Their abdomens and breasts were unscathed. Whatever it is, is killing them systematically by attacking their necks.
Last night i came home to my drake Stampy in the same condition. He looks completely untouched except the entire back of his neck has been removed, to the point where i can see his tendons flexing when he moves his head or drinks water.
So whatever is doing this, is coming back and keeping an eye on them nightly. The only times they’ve been attacked have been when they decided to leave their enclosed run to sleep outside (which they always enjoyed without trouble, so until now I was allowing this). Our yard is about a quarter acre in the back and we have a 5.5’ fence completely enclosing it. No evidence of burrowing anywhere, not at their coop, not at the fence.
Last night i came home just in time to save Stampy’s life and keep my last hen safe. I noticed when i came home that the yard was too quiet (the ducks usually greet me) so my suspicion rose immediately, i turned my flashlight on and I saw two yellow eyes peering at me from their coop area. Whatever it was i chased it away before i could identify it. My hen let out a startled honk and quickly ran away, flapping its wings. But it was dark and now i’m inclined to think that this flapping sound could have been coming from the predator. Whatever it was, it either went up in our spruce tree or hopped the fence. I would like to try and trap whatever it is but if it’s an Owl i have no idea how.
i have it narrowed down to Fox, Raccoon, Owl, or Cat. It could have been a mink or weasel but the eyes were too large and spread out so i’m ruling them out, especially since no signs of predation have been found inside their enclosure.
Please, share any opinions you might have because i’m at my wits end. I don’t want to keep them locked up all the time but will do whatever i have to in order to keep them safe. Let me know if i can share any other info to help you narrow things down. We are new to having a flock (its our 2nd summer) with us and would love to hear from people with experience. We are located in northern colorado for reference. I attached a few gruesome pics for reference as well. Thank you for reading and god bless
I think i have narrowed it down to a few likely culprits based on my research and the trends i’ve noticed. Last weekend was the first strike, two ducks dead, one duck maimed beyond recognition and somehow hid long enough under the deck to survive. She is making a recovery inside our house in a quarantined shower. Every duck was attacked in the same way, the front and back of their necks removed, with some small rips and punctures, two of them had a lot of missing feathers on their rump. Happened late at night. Tragic because none of their meat was eaten. Their heads and brains were unscathed. Their abdomens and breasts were unscathed. Whatever it is, is killing them systematically by attacking their necks.
Last night i came home to my drake Stampy in the same condition. He looks completely untouched except the entire back of his neck has been removed, to the point where i can see his tendons flexing when he moves his head or drinks water.
So whatever is doing this, is coming back and keeping an eye on them nightly. The only times they’ve been attacked have been when they decided to leave their enclosed run to sleep outside (which they always enjoyed without trouble, so until now I was allowing this). Our yard is about a quarter acre in the back and we have a 5.5’ fence completely enclosing it. No evidence of burrowing anywhere, not at their coop, not at the fence.
Last night i came home just in time to save Stampy’s life and keep my last hen safe. I noticed when i came home that the yard was too quiet (the ducks usually greet me) so my suspicion rose immediately, i turned my flashlight on and I saw two yellow eyes peering at me from their coop area. Whatever it was i chased it away before i could identify it. My hen let out a startled honk and quickly ran away, flapping its wings. But it was dark and now i’m inclined to think that this flapping sound could have been coming from the predator. Whatever it was, it either went up in our spruce tree or hopped the fence. I would like to try and trap whatever it is but if it’s an Owl i have no idea how.
i have it narrowed down to Fox, Raccoon, Owl, or Cat. It could have been a mink or weasel but the eyes were too large and spread out so i’m ruling them out, especially since no signs of predation have been found inside their enclosure.
Please, share any opinions you might have because i’m at my wits end. I don’t want to keep them locked up all the time but will do whatever i have to in order to keep them safe. Let me know if i can share any other info to help you narrow things down. We are new to having a flock (its our 2nd summer) with us and would love to hear from people with experience. We are located in northern colorado for reference. I attached a few gruesome pics for reference as well. Thank you for reading and god bless
