# What would kill my duck in broad daylight?



## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

One of my pekins was missing when I turned in for the night around 6 pm. I found a huge pile of her feathers in a wooded area, under low branches.
There was not one body part, or blood anywhere. Just a pile of clean white feathers. I didn't even find a trail indicating that maybe she was dragged off.
I'm setting a trap as soon as I get one. 
But what would do this during the day, with all the animals out?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Something big enough to remove the whole bird. That leaves out most raptors except maybe an eagle. My guess would be fox or coyote, both difficult to trap if you don't know what you are doing.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

Well, I don't know what I'm doing...is there a special trap, bait?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Dazlin said:


> Well, I don't know what I'm doing...is there a special trap, bait?


Bear in mind that either a fox or coyote would be unlikely to be caught in a live trap. You MIGHT catch a fox, but I doubt you would ever catch a coyote. That leaves steel jaw traps, or conibears. Either one of these will kill or maim domestic animals and pets.

If you DO decide to trap, scent control is imperative. You will need to boil the traps and then handle them with rubber gloves. You will also have to learn to make a set that is invisible and leave no human scent. 

I think your best bait might be a man made lure. Your local sporting goods shop might carry that.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

thank you I'll do my best. Wish me luck!


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Luck! (The good kind)


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

We lost a couple chickens in the late afternoon to a ****.

How do I know? It's a dead **** now.

We lost 3 ducks last year the same way.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Riverdale said:


> We lost a couple chickens in the late afternoon to a ****.
> 
> How do I know? It's a dead **** now.
> 
> We lost 3 ducks last year the same way.


It could be a ****, but I've never seen a **** drag a carcass away, adult (I'm assuming adult) pekin would be more than a meal for a **** to eat at one sitting.


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

tinknal said:


> It could be a ****, but I've never seen a **** drag a carcass away, adult (I'm assuming adult) pekin would be more than a meal for a **** to eat at one sitting.


A sow **** with kits?


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Not this time of year, I'm thinking.

Right now you've got a lot of juvenile animals who may have been orphaned or have been kicked out of the den/nest. They are inexpert hunters and inexperience and hunger will drive them to killing livestock.

Coyotes or fox are the most likely suspects but it could really be anything. If the pile of feathers was found a ways distance from any houses then I'd be inclined to blame a coyote. 

As for dealing with the predator, it will come back again and again. These "welfare predators" as I call them learn that a free meal is better than one they have to work for and they simply don't recognize any risk involved (because up till now there hasn't been any risk).

You can try to break the cycle by penning your animals up for about a week, but the best method I've found is simply to pick a day out of your busy schedule and then set up with a bottle of Gatorade and a good rifle. Feed the chickens or ducks so they remain in one spot and then wait. I do this if a predator has been coming around for a few days, not when they've been only coming around once a month.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

I set 2 traps. The smaller one was dragged a few feet, and the meat I hung on the back inside was eaten and the string I attached it with was pulled through to the outside of the cage. The trap door was shut, and no animal was inside.
We now, put a larger trap out...we shall see.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

That sounds like a raccoon who is familiar with traps. 

A lot of city types practice catch-and-release with problem raccoons. The city of Rockford dumps their problem raccoons in a forest preserve adjacent to my farm. What I get is a large number of raccoons who know people mean food and who are too clever by far when it comes to traps. 

The critter who came after the meat in your trap is not necessarily the critter who took your duck in broad daylight.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Do a little internet searching of trapping sites and learn how to treat and handle your traps. Then learn how to make a scent post set. That one set will take care of most fox or coyote problems.

Ideally you would have a secure nighttime shelter and maybe a yard dog for day and night time protection.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

Unfortunately, I lost another duck yesterday. I was in tears! They will stay penned up for a while. I hate to see them in there, they're not used to staying in during the day.
The trap door was closed again, but the meat was still there. We saw eyes reflecting last night, but we couldn't get it.
Today, I plan on putting a chicken out there in secure cage, and wait for it to come out.
My husband thinks it may be a bob cat. He saw prints.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Bobcat are fairly easy to trap. They do not have a well developed sense of smell, they are sight hunters. To catch one use a leghold trap. Hang a wing from one of your dead critters about 4 feet off the ground, from a tree branch. Set the trap right under the wing. The cat will focus on the wing and walk right into the trap. You might want to scatter a few leaves over the trap.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

Caught raccoon! We put the trap facing into the woods and covered it with branches. Hung raw chicken on a wire andput a can of cat food in also.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Glad you caught it. Yesterday when I was out near my coop looking at the carnage. I heard a strange groweling, then just passed it off as a bird, but should have known better. Last night after shooting the ****(just injured it) it went right to that tree. That **** had waited all day in that pine tree to kill some more. Dh went and got that **** for me tho.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

I set the trap again anyway. But I really think the raccoon was the only predator...I'm somewhat relieved.
I was missing a buff cochin before I caught the ****. I searched until I found another huge pile of feathers. It was the cochin, and next to that was a pile of guinea feathers. I was missing 3 of them too!
So, this **** had a feast on 2 large pekins, 1 cochin, and 3 guneas that are only a couple of months old. This is a first for me with pedators, other than Hawks.
I'm getting tired of all this...thinking maybe it all isn't worth it. Maybe I'll just keep a few chickens for eggs, and my pleasure.


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## Cheribelle (Jul 23, 2007)

I think most of us have gone through that, or will go through it. When you are just about ready to give up. Hang in there, better days are coming. Getting rid of that **** is a good start.


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## michael1 (Aug 23, 2005)

I had lost about a dozen birds including my peacock. The M.O. was usually the same. A pile of feathers, almost as if the **** had sat there and plucked the bird. Rarely was anything left of the bird itself. Occasionally I'd find a gizzard. Anyway I trapped and killed a few raccoons. Then I got 2 Great Pyrenees LGD dogs. My predator problems are GONE.

Expensive solution perhaps. Costs me about $550.00 per year in feed for them vet bills are rare, but we did pay $400.00 for an xray. I probably lost $48.00 worth of chickens and a $75.00 peacock. The dogs are part of our early warning system and alert us whenever anyone shows up. They do protect the goats too even though we have yet to see a large animal predator on our land do to having good fencing. I would get the dogs again in spite of the cost. I really don't like having to go hunt down the remains of a favorite bird due to predation.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Forgive me, I'm on my way out so I haven't read the whole thread, but a couple of summers ago at my friends place, we saw a hawk snatch a large hen from near the coop and fly her up the hill and under a large pine tree with low branches like you describe.

We charged up the hill yelling and were able to scare off the hawk before it could kill the chicken and she was fine, but she sure left a large pile of feathers on the ground under that tree.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

Thank-you all. So far, everything is ok since we caught the raccoon.
I'm leaving the trap out anyway for a couple of more days.


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