Someone STOLE my ducklings!!

[FarmerGirl1010]

I moved my month old ducklings closer to the pond yesterday. To get them used to the area, I put them in a temporary dog crate kinda like this:

This morning, I went to check on them. THREE WERE MISSING!!
The door was latched.
No trace of anything.
Nothing.
Here’s a picture I took yesterday before I moved them:

Light grey mallard- gone
Crested pekin- gone
Mallard- gone
There is ABSOLUTELY NO way a predator got it or it squeezed through the bars.

AND GET THIS:
A couple days ago, three full grown pekin ducks appears by my pond. I had assumed someone didn’t need their pekin ducks and they wanted theirs to have a nice home. So, they dropped theirs off at our pond to join my full grown flock.

Maybe this is wrong. Maybe, they thought I took three of their ducks. So, they took three of mine? (Keep in mind my pond is next to the road) they may have noticed the three ducks? And came in the middle of the night to take three of my little caged up ones?

Idk but this is just so devastating

 

[SourRoses]

Guys I have one suspect
Theory: He’s a psycho. In the middle of the night, he could walked across the street (he lives across from me) and could only fit three in his cat carrier. He knew about the electric fence and how my huge guard dogs wouldn’t reach him. (He knew bc he called before and asked all sorts of questions on the call)

He may have thought it was funny and supposedly will return them(?)

Whatever happened, I would caution you against jumping to conclusions and accusing someone, especially someone you have to live near afterwards.
See if you can (safely) keep an eye on his pond, in case he really is holding them and may put them out later. Until you actually see your birds in someone's possession, you shouldn't confront them.
Also, this may sound like a nitpick but I think it's important to keep in mind, a real psychopath (psycho) is not only extremely rare, but has an absence of any empathy for others or themselves, and is not someone you would want to fight over poultry.
A sociopath lacks empathy for others but still feels it for themselves, and this condition is less rare but still not common.
Why does it matter? Casually branding someone with a serious psychological disorder allows one to "other" them, thus allowing a dismissal of their feelings and fair treatment.
This could lead up to an unnecessary fight with neighbors and diminish your family's reputation in the neighborhood.
I feel for you in the loss of your birds but I just wanted to caution you to be careful of letting your sincere distress turn into potentially misdirected anger.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

If you had them in a crate near the road someone prolly thought they where free....

 

[SourRoses]

It may be the cage that prompted well-meaning "saving" by some passerby.
Or like Poultrybonkers suggested, someone thought they were being offered for free.

 

[ruthhope]

I am sorry you lost your ducklings. Poor wee mites.

1. That dog crate is not predator proof. please don't leave ducks out in a dog crate in future. I use dogcrates inside my coop for me pekins to sleep in away from my muscovies. The coop is predator proof, the dog crate is duck proof.

2. I think that if you talk to the new neighbor, you might ask him if he has got his new ducklings yet, but then warn him that he must take good care of his as three of yours have disappeared. you might watch his reaction to this but I woudl not accuse him. Just listen if he has anything to say. It is too easy to be wrong when making accusations.

I do hope you get your ducklings back.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Is it a possibility that it was of a nearby neighbor? Think of this situation going off you suspicion:

Their ducks got lose and free ranged a bit too far. Seeing your pond, or even hearing your ducks, they came over and jumped in. Then your neighbor thought nothing of them escaping, but thought you stole them?

On a slight side note, if it was the owner of those other three, what if they came back for theirs, and grabbed yours not thinking or realizing that they're not theirs?

I don't really know. Have you contacted the police about someone stealing your birds yet?

 

[SmiYa0126]

I moved my month old ducklings closer to the pond yesterday. To get them used to the area, I put them in a temporary dog crate kinda like this:
View attachment 3159626
This morning, I went to check on them. THREE WERE MISSING!!
The door was latched.
No trace of anything.
Nothing.
Here’s a picture I took yesterday before I moved them:
View attachment 3159627
Light grey mallard- gone
Crested pekin- gone
Mallard- gone
There is ABSOLUTELY NO way a predator got it or it squeezed through the bars.

AND GET THIS:
A couple days ago, three full grown pekin ducks appears by my pond. I had assumed someone didn’t need their pekin ducks and they wanted theirs to have a nice home. So, they dropped theirs off at our pond to join my full grown flock.

Maybe this is wrong. Maybe, they thought I took three of their ducks. So, they took three of mine? (Keep in mind my pond is next to the road) they may have noticed the three ducks? And came in the middle of the night to take three of my little caged up ones?

Idk but this is just so devastating

Since your neighbor has such a watchful eye, can you ask him if he saw anything? I don't know how old he is, but I noticed that the older generations, 60 to 65 are way more observant than us "young" folks...40ish When my mom in law stayed with us she told us what the neighbors did during the day .

 

[DuneDucks]

I probably would have agreed it wasn't possible, but after reading through the thread and then looking back at the picture of the ducklings, I'm leaning towards predator. Those ducklings are what, 3/4 weeks old? I could see them not having the strength to put up much of a fight while getting dragged through, thus leaving less evidence of a struggle, and I imagine their fuzz will leave a lot less of a trace than fully grown feathers would too.

 

[indianaducks]

I probably would have agreed it wasn't possible, but after reading through the thread and then looking back at the picture of the ducklings, I'm leaning towards predator. Those ducklings are what, 3/4 weeks old? I could see them not having the strength to put up much of a fight while getting dragged through, thus leaving less evidence of a struggle, and I imagine their fuzz will leave a lot less of a trace than fully grown feathers would too.

Exactly what happened to mine. We saw like two tiny drops of blood, and had a very traumatized single survivor who we moved immediately to a safer coop. I didn't believe it was possible until that.

 

[Isadora]

predator. that cage is NOT predator proof at all.

There's no way a predator would kill them and get them out of the cage without leaving evidence.