predator question

[lmd]

My ducks are put into the barn at night.
Wed morning I found one with 3 inches of the neck chewed. I guessed mink because that is what happened 1 1/2 years ago. I spent the afternoon creating a predator proof, small pen for the night.

Thurs morning the ducks were fine, but the dead duck out of the pen was chewed up - I`m guessing coons.

Last night I set the live trap and caught the coon. Now I`m questioning - is there likely a mink around? Would the coon have just chewed the neck?

[Evy]

Sometimes coons will just kill, especially if they're teaching babies to hunt. It also could have been anything from a weasel to a rat, possum or mink. I even had a stray cat kill several, take off heads & hide the carcasses like a mink will.

[threehorses]

Sometimes coons will just kill, especially if they're teaching babies to hunt. It also could have been anything from a weasel to a rat, possum or mink. I even had a stray cat kill several, take off heads & hide the carcasses like a mink will.

Agreed about the coons. Anything could be gnawing on them, as well, after death I'd rule out that it was definitely death by predation first.

We've had such terrible luck here due to raccoons.. I used to have a pretty nice sized flock including show birds, most of them killed in three episodes by racoons. I lost every show black old english breeding bird i had (note - they were caged even) in one night.
I'm glad you were able to catch one of yours. How did you do it?

[tinag210]

We've always had good luck catching raccoons in a havahart baited with catfood, tuna or eggs. I somewhat cover the trap so the door is the only opening where they can see the bait. That way they don't set the trap off trying to reach through it to get the bait.

[lmd]

Well, day one the neck was chewed. Day two the duck was eaten up to bare bones. Day three the trap had been set with the chewed up duck, and the coon was in the trap. I set the live trap in a corner, and sometimes do cover with hay or wood. I`ve had the ducks in the small secure pen every night since then - a week - but have no more victims in the trap. The ducks are outside in the daytime, and seem safe, with the sheep on one side, dogs and myself on the other. I`m wanting to let the ducks have the large loafing area for night time, but i`m afraid of what may have chewed the neck the first night. When this happened a year and a half ago, we built this small secure pen, and then saw a black mink, squeezed it with a chair against the wall and got rid of it. That was the first mink problem I have ever had. For coons, I just set the trap in a building every once in a while and occasionally get one - like once a year. They like the chunks of beef fat that I use for the dogs.

[Gojira]

We recently have been having quite a bit of red fox action. My neighbor has chickens and has been battling the foxes. They have a den with young nearby and are pretty active at night. They make the most gawd-awful scream which is quite alarming. I thought it was minks making that noise, but I was wrong.

I just saw a fox this morning about 6 am, crossing the bridge over my pond. He must have been on his way home. Went out and did a head count, all my birds are safe.

But a fox will take a young goose or a duck, easy. Especially if they have young to feed.