What Killed My Duck?

[Miss Lydia]

When i come home they usually will come out of thier house and chatter at the edge of their pen, and when they did not come out today that was when i knew something was wrong. They seemed a little cautious when i was walking to their pen (they were hovering around the door and quacking) but when they saw it was me they calmed down and came right out and chattered as if nothing ever happened.

Do you have snow on the ground? best way in the world to see foot prints,I saw raccoon prints in the snow outside my goose house the other day. My husband said may weasel? I sure wish I knew Finny but the scary thing is what ever it was will be back. Do you have another place that is better secure to keep them till ya'll can work on better security for your pen their in now?
http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken-predators.html

 

[Finny]

Yes there is snow and I have been trying to find prints. There are many different prints outside the pen but there r none that we can see inside the pen because the snow is packed. There were what looked like a bird foot print with talons near the pen and small diamond shaped foot prints but I have no idea what those might be. And the only secure place we have now is our garage. I was thinking of moving their pen and house up to where we have a dog run. I was going to put it right up against the outside of the dog run fencing so if the thing comes back my dogs will scare it away, but I wont be able to do thay until the weather gets warmer and the ground thaws

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes there is snow and I have been trying to find prints. There are many different prints outside the pen but there r none that we can see inside the pen because the snow is packed. There were what looked like a bird foot print with talons near the pen and small diamond shaped foot prints but I have no idea what those might be. And the only secure place we have now is our garage. I was thinking of moving their pen and house up to where we have a dog run. I was going to put it right up against the outside of the dog run fencing so if the thing comes back my dogs will scare it away, but I wont be able to do thay until the weather gets warmer and the ground thaws

Finny your ducks are very vulnerable right now, because what ever killed your one knows it can get inside now. If you don't figure out how it got in or you know and don't fix it your going to lose them all. Predators don't care they are just out for an easy meal. Amiga has fixed up part of her basement for her ducks over winter. Maybe you can do something like this in your garage. they need to be safe. Only problem with using garage is if ya'll use it to park your car, the fumes would not be healthy. Is there anyway you can work on your pen this weekend and get it secure. Did you read the link about the chicken preds? these same preds will go after our ducks, but it does explain how they kill so maybe you can figure it out. What has me baffled is that what ever it was only killed 1 duck with the rest right there.

 

[Finny]

We do not park our car in the garage so it will be safe for the ducks. I can set up a spot for them until i figure out what to do about the pen. I read the link and I am thinking it might have been a mink. I read that minks will not eat the duck much, but will drink its blood. That is almost what my duck looked like, but his back and neck were gone

 

[Miss Lydia]

We do not park our car in the garage so it will be safe for the ducks. I can set up a spot for them until i figure out what to do about the pen. I read the link and I am thinking it might have been a mink. I read that minks will not eat the duck much, but will drink its blood. That is almost what my duck looked like, but his back and neck were gone

Sounds good Finny, let me know how it goes and be safe and take care of those boys.

 

[Finny]

Thanks so much for your advice

 

[Finny]

Does anyone else have any idea as to what predator could have done this given my description of my duck? Any thread that shows foot prints of predators? It probably was a small predator they did not take chunks out of the duck it looked like it took whatever it was a while to scrape away at my duck's spine and neck.

 

[Finny]

Also, any ideas on how to build a predator proof pen? I thought mine was Fort Knox but i was wrong.
Thanks

 

[veronicasmom]

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[Amiga]

If I recall from Storey's Guide, some smaller predators can get through a one inch opening, so half inch hardware cloth would keep them out. It is pricey, but something to consider. It would be good if the culprit were known. Raccoons got through the top of a friend's pen - she just had plastic poultry fence across the top and they ripped right through it.

I suppose it could have been a hawk that got in, perhaps got interrupted, and flew out. In that case, some serious netting or even 2"x3" fence across the top ought to keep it out.

But if it were a mink, I am thinking metal hardware cloth - half inch.