A few nights ago my sister-in-law lost three ducks. They were penned. The pen has welded wire (including top) with 1" chicken wire around the lower 24 inches. But last week they joined this pen with another, smaller pen by cutting openings and pushing them together, and they did not secure the joining well at all. I'm not sure whether they added chicken wire to the smaller pen as I'd advised (mainly due to how small it was, no clearance to get away from reach-ins) or not. The following morning, they found one adult (runner mix) female with her neck stuck through the joined area and head chewed off. The two six week olds were totally gone from the pen. No feathers or remains were found.
I'm thinking that a raccoon was able to reach through and pull the little ones out, but that the grown duck was too big to pull out, hence only pulled out as far as the neck would reach. They are thinking it's a weasel, but I don't believe that's the M.O. of a weasel. I'm not sure what else it could be...we are in southern Indiana.
What do you think???
I'm thinking that a raccoon was able to reach through and pull the little ones out, but that the grown duck was too big to pull out, hence only pulled out as far as the neck would reach. They are thinking it's a weasel, but I don't believe that's the M.O. of a weasel. I'm not sure what else it could be...we are in southern Indiana.
What do you think???
