scared ducks

[duckfeathers]

Last night our coop was attacked by some animal. I woke up in time to hear the animal run off but did not get to see it. I have a small coup, with an upper layer and a fenced in bottom layer. The door of the coop was open and my poor ducks everywhere. I secured the coop up for the night and this morning...discovered the feathery remains of the one duck this animal took, not too far from the coop. I assumed the predator would be a raccoon, because they are known to unlock doors. My door is a simple latch door without any locks attached. It could have been left open although this is unlikely. we have a three foot fence at the front and a five foot fence at the back.
what predator might this have been? and how can i protect my ducks during the day and night? I only own six.

 

[Donny1964]

Sorry to hear of this..

Sadly I found it almost impossible to protect my ducks and hens from a predator that actually wants to get to them. The obvious would be a locking system that will baffle the predators in the states, like a catch locked down by another catch, or even a mortise door lock with a key.

Try and use building mesh which is welded and about 1 to 2mm diameter gauge wire, a little expensive but a lot cheaper over all compared to re-stocking.

Hope this helps..
Don