Something ate my babies!!! D:

[Crayonsmom]

Poor little babies. we had hatched three little duckies a couple days ago and they were doing great in their brooder on the porch, and SO cute. Two were Khakis and the third was a Khaki x Blue Runner. Well, this morning I didn't wake up until 11 and I was asking my dad if the horse and the other ducks had been fed yet. then I stepped onto the porch to check on the babies and the wire cover was ajar.

I was hoping

that they were still in there and that the cover had just somehow slipped. No duckies in there. It was such a small opening too. We think only a weasle could fit in there. I'm still hoping that maybe one got away and is hiding in the corner, but I'm not too hopeful. I just hope I don't find any parts.

I'm so sad. I had hobbled the Runner cross and s/he was doing so great and let me pick him up while the other two ran away. This is very discouraging. For the next hatch I think I'm going to find some runner eggs, and put something heavy on top of their brooder so nothing can get in.

 

[bt03]

I'm so sorry. I just lost 2 ducks to a very unknown predator. I know how you are feeling right now

 

[carlala_]

I know what your going through. I had 3 pekin ducks that were outgrowing their plastic box "brooder" in my guest bedroom. We had a dog pen outside that we didnt use anymore because we live in the country and just let my dog roam free now. We decided to put them in the dog pen and go to the store to put something over the top so nothing could get to them. Left to go to Walmart and then went to a friends house. Kept telling my husband I had a bad feeling and was ready to go home but he wanted to stay. Came home about 4 hours later and went to check on them as soon as we pulled up and they wern't there.

turned around and saw on lying on the ground bloody. I broke down squalling. I had them for about 4 weeks and had gotten attached. My husband found another one not to far away. He started picking them up and putting them in a box(while I cried). After I calmed down we started looking for the 3rd. Never found her around that area, walked around the yard some more and heard something peeping. I thought it was a frog until I heard it again. Started shining my flashligh around and found her swimming in the pond!!! My baby had escaped! She heard me talking and saw my flashlight and actually came out of the pond to me! I was so happy! We took her in the house and put her under the heat lamp. I'm not sure how long she stayed out there in the water by herself but it was fairly cold outside, im sure she was freezing. She cried all night for her siblings. What we think happend was that my dog unlatched the gate on the pen and got in there to them. My husband failed to tell me that when he kept her in the pen he had to tie the lock shut because she figured out how to escape. I'm so scared to take her back outside without me being there. I've been looking at designs other people have made of pens and this time it will be so secure even I'm going to have a hard time getting in!

 

[Crayonsmom]

Thanks for your sympathy. I went back out to check around and see if maybe one had excaped... But I think whatever it was just jumped in thereand ate them all one after the other. I feel terrible. All I can picture is the poor little things running around all scared and then getting eaten alive.

And now I want to throw up too. As I was observing a an area where the bedding was messed up, I found what I didn't want to find. Body parts. The little legs.

I don't know how to make myself feel better because I can't get the image of them being eaten out of my head.

I don't want to look in their pen again, but I'm tempted to count how many legs there are in case one got away. I don't know if I'll even be able to hatch more right away. It would be different if there was no trace of them. I could put it out of my head more easily. Somebody's going to be sleeping outside tonight. We're going to knock the lights out of that animal. I don't think I even care if it's the cat.

 

[desertdarlene]

Oh that's horrible! I feel so bad for you. I would hate to see that, also, especially after you've worked so hard to hatch them.

 

[animalpro24]

Quote:
Don't ever ignore feelings like that, in any cases.

 

[animalpro24]

So sorry for you and your ducks.

 

[b.hromada]

I'm very sorry about your sweet duckies.

 

[AllthingsG]

So sorry about your babies! I would suspect a racoon. If they can fit their nose and flat heads into a space - the rest of them follows. I lost several 4-5 week old chicks to a coon about 3 years ago -same type of thing. So very sorry.

The best thing you can do is improve your hutch/security and get some new babies to love and care for - good luck.

 

[Crayonsmom]

I'll definitely be doing some modification to the porch brooder. I'm glad that my three out back are ok. Dad said the board we use to locke them inside was down this morning. I thought it was more secure than that, but they must have knocked it down.