My ducks have disappeared - not a trace 😞

[Punkybrewster]

Ive had fox carry off my chickens and ducks with no sound, no feathers. They can be sneaky like that.

I had a flock of ducks that were taken with no trace and couldnt figure out what was getting them.

Until i witnessed it first hand.
Sundown.
The fox just silently ran up, grabbed one and kept running before any birds knew what happened.

And fox are smart enough to learn your routine too.

"Sly like a fox" is very true.

 

[Chicalina]

That doesn't explain how two were taken at the same time with no noise or commotion or evidence. Foxes don't usually hunt in twos and for two foxes to come and each take a duck at the same time by coordinated and synchronised super stealth power just doesn't add up.

Also, country foxes in England usually take baby rabbits and pheasants out in the fields and woods because it is easier pickings than domestic birds in villages, farms and gardens. There are many more city foxes in England than country ones, and they scavenge on KFC and other human detritus because it is easy and available.

I am not saying foxes wouldn't take a garden duck, but it seems unlikely in the OP's circumstances.

OP, one of my hens hatched and raised 12 wild mallards one time. Most of them eventually flew away of their own accord, as I had hoped. Some came back to visit over the ensuing weeks and a couple the following year. They were meant to be wild and free, but it was so sweet they could find their way back and that they wanted to.

 

[corriemartin]

We had a neighborhood dog chase our ducks last week, and when it was over, one was missing. Since we hadn't counted them during the day, we didn't know how long she'd been gone, and thought maybe she'd been nabbed by a fox earlier in the day. We looked EVERYwhere for signs of an attack, all over the pastures and woods, but nothing. Later that evening, we found her in the back corner of the shop (where they had never gone before), absolutely silent. She must have run in there when the dog chased them, and then stayed still and silent for hours afterwards. Maybe your ducks are doing something similar.

 

[Teacher Aimad]

I just lost my female duck along with 8 of its 2-month-old ducklings. They are always around my backyard. But yesterday I woke up and found no trace of them. I suspect a thief has taken them away. Otherwise, there is no way a predator could have caught them all at the same time. I really want to know what could have happened to them.

 

[Teacher Aimad]

I just lost my female duck along with 8 of its 2-month-old ducklings. They are always around my backyard. But yesterday I woke up and found no trace of them. I suspect a thief has taken them away. Otherwise, there is no way a predator could have caught them all at the same time. I really want to know what could have happened to them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh my gosh how awful, Did you have them locked up for the night? no sign of a struggle no feathers laying around?