Weasel / Marten Attack

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

I just wanted to say thank you to this part of the BYC Forum.

I've had two ducks die after being bitten in the throat by something - it took the third attack to work it all out.

This time, the mini predator took on one of my amazons and was not successful. She came staggering over the garden to us bleeding and limping - we did not hear the attack at all.

Got her in a warm bath with epsom salts and into the indoor cage that is our emergency hospital.

Cue lots of frantic Googling and checking BYC between some crying. Gave her water with honey, ACE vits and a b complex, made sure she was warm and left her to rest.

Based on info from here, she has had a week of daily warm baths with epsom salts, bites were treated with silver msm cream. She had her own heater and we gave her high value food like meal worms, tomatoes, cucumber etc and continued to supplement her water. I removed any gunk from the eye that was damaged in the fight. I was not sure about strapping her leg, worried it would be too much stress. She slept most of the time and for the first two days, was very floppy.

The heat / infection from the wounds reduced each day and was gone by day 3 which was when the leg support went on and only comes off for baths. She hates it but is stable, upright and balanced with it on. Her eye has stopped gunking up and her third eye lid has retracted.

She now shouts if her bath is late or is bored - the wounds are closed and covered by fluff.

I think she is going to be ok ! Fingers crossed the leg sorts itself out.

Its been an awful couple of months having lost two old dogs, a cat and two ducks to the rainbow bridge.

I really needed a win.

So thank you everyone with special mention to @casportpony @Amiga and @Miss Lydia

I found a burrow in our garden and have blocked it off - apparently they don't like mint so have 40 plants on order I have also put our more orderly geese in with them (the ones that don't try to shag anything with a pulse in sexy season).

If anyone has any other tips, pls share !

Thanks everyone. X

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi there. I am so happy your duck is on the mend. Sounds like you have taken great care of her and she has responded.
Was this attack during the day when they were outside of their coop? If not and the predator got in you might want to put up hardware cloth over every entry in to your coop. Weasels Minks can get through an inch hole so hardware cloth 1/2"-1/4 in works best.
Hopefully, you have taken care of the entry into your garden area. But they may just find another way in. It seems we are always trying to stay a step ahead of predators and sometimes they still win. I am very thankful your girl is on the mend.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

Hi there. I am so happy your duck is on the mend. Sounds like you have taken great care of her and she has responded.
Was this attack during the day when they were outside of their coop? If not and the predator got in you might want to put up hardware cloth over every entry in to your coop. Weasels Minks can get through an inch hold so hardware cloth 1/2"-1/4 in works best.
Hopefully, you have taken care of the entry into your garden area. But they may just find another way in. It seems we are always trying to stay a step ahead of predators and sometimes they still win. I am very thankful your girl is on the mend.

Thank you for your kind words.

All three attacks were outside of their houses which are in their own fenced area and were in broad daylight which I was surprised about (but am not sure why - I think I assumed all ground attacks would happen at night).

I did as you suggested with the houses and they are definitely ok.

My Toulouse takes guarding very seriously bless him and has seen off a number of dangerous doves and one wagtail already .....on a more serious note, my geese and ducks have form for killing rats and mice.

We are overhauling this part of our smallholding so we will get a chance to redo it all with the extra learning, including your point (thank you for that).

Got to say, I actually thought weasels / martens were bigger than they actually are - they did so much damage with a couple of bites on the first two ducks, its amazing really for such a wee beastie.

The first duck they took was my favourite (Mrs Puddles), I dont eat meat and am active in protecting animals.

I did not think twice about blocking that one way burrow, hopefully with it / them in it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How many ducks do you have now? if only this one that was injured are you planning on more? she is going to need some friends once she is completely healed. They just do so much better with friends.

Boy weasels and those in that family care awful predators. I hope you got him too.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

How many ducks do you have now? if only this one that was injured are you planning on more? she is going to need some friends once she is completely healed. They just do so much better with friends.

Boy weasels and those in that family care awful predators. I hope you got him too.

We have been breeding each year although last year was a disaster due to a Vit E deficiency.

I have 22 females including injured Jabba (The Hutt) who is currently shouting at her friends outside from the hospital cage bcos they are chuntering in their houses as they want to be let out. I used to leave them out at night sometimes but that won't be happening any more.

We also have 19 batchelors in their own section at the back bcos we are too soft to cull / sell them .

The two duck communities could not be more different !

5 geese - 2 Toulouse and 3 Czech. We now have the Toulouse (Mr and Mrs Hudson) and the female Czech (Moriarty) in with the female ducks (she lost her mate Watson a year ago to natural causes although he was young). Moriarty is hard as nails ! The two Czech sex pest males (Sherlock and Mycroft) keep our boar company in his pen.

We must look like a great drive through take out to the local predators and I suppose we have been 'lucky' that this is our first issue in three years.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Boy you do have the birds so no way Jabba is going to be lonely lol Sounds like an awesome place to live, and a full time job. Sometime when you get time maybe you can share some pictures?