Would one duck decapitate another?

[Julie2929]

My ducks have a duck house inside a 10 x 10 chain ink dog kennel. For the winter, we have bales of straw around the outside for wind block and insulation. I usually close them in their house at night, but the bedding and poop has piled up over the winter that they don’t have much room. It’s frozen and I can’t remove it. So I’ve been leaving them loose in the kennel so they have space, which I know is a risk. This morning one of my hens was decapitated. Nothing ate her or did anything else but that. I can’t wrap my head around a predator getting in the kennel somehow and then not eating her or taking her away, so I’m wondering if it could have been another one of my ducks? I have two drakes and one has been mean and bossy to all of the other ducks, male or female, so that also makes me think it may have been him? Is that possible?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Probably not sounds more like a mink or owl. Can you cover the top of your run and seal it down and your pen needs hardware cloth at least 3' up all around, best to be completely cover in hardware cloth. If that isn't feasible at this time the getting your coop cleaned out or at least habitable would be best. Could be what ever got in got scared off by something but you can bet it will be back. Very sorry for your loss.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

Sounds like an owl, you can go to Lowe’s and get a 14 x 14 bird net and zip tie it to the top of the pen

 

[Julie2929]

There is a tarp over the top of the kennel. Update: my drake that has been aggressive to all of the other ducks has blood all over his chest feathers. I think that means he may be guilty??

 

[Miss Lydia]

Did you look under his feathers for any wounds? I’d look him over really well. He may be injured!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Where was the duck positioned? Raccoons can pull heads through the fence and eat them off. Mink are also small and will eat heads and necks. Another duck could kill her but not remove and eat the head.

I would not keep 2 drakes confined together as they will fight constantly.

 

[Loopeend]

Where was the duck positioned? Raccoons can pull heads through the fence and eat them off. Mink are also small and will eat heads and necks. Another duck could kill her but not remove and eat the head. Try slicing a neck open with a round pebble or a pebble with a pointy end. It can be done with a round pebble...but it.. will..take..ageeeeees...

I would not keep 2 drakes confined together as they will fight constantly.

I have to agree that ducks can't really decapitate the head. They usely use blunt trauma (blunt beak) to the head. They can not really 'rip' due to the lacking function of their beak.
Technically they could, I guess, peck an already fainted hen, só much, repeatedly in the neck, that it looks like it/can happen but that is a bit far fetched. It would take a lót of times since they have blunt bills.

A small predator might be likely. The ones named or a rat or mice. Maybe in combination that your drake knocked the hen on the head so she became numb and an easy prey. But maybe also to easy to actually eat (like the common housecat does) or to heavy to take to the dead-animal storage place like marters/minks do).

If your drake is so aggresive I would remove it. You can first keep it appart from the rest for weeks, so the rest makes a new hierachy, and sees how it goes when he has to take a place in the group again. They might not let him boss around anymore. If you don't want that, I would just remove it. Aggresive trait is no trait that needs to be given to offspring (if he does not kill his own offspring). It is trouble.

 

[Texag87]

Raccoon

 

[Loopeend]

Raccoon

Can a raccoon that?
I don't know raccoons.

He/she said the top was covered; so it couldn't be an owl. I know marters (where I live) can even lift rooftiles. Cats and rats and mice can't. I know raccoons are smart. Are they smart enough to go through some roof-thing? (serious question, like it is known that stone marters lift rooftiles; what can raccoons do, Can they be flat as a rat or cat? for example. Wikipedia doesn't answer this )

 

[Texag87]

They can reach through an impossibly small hole and rip and grab anything.