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Drake Killing Ducklings

  • 22-05-2013 12:13pm
    #1
    astonaidan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,456 ✭✭✭


    Not sure if this is the right place to ask
    But has anyone heard of drakes killing duckling before, like eating them, My duck hatched out 5 ducklings and by monday they were all dead with just two bodies left.
    one of whoes head was removed


Comments

  • #2
    Jelly2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 402 ✭✭Jelly2


    Are you sure it was the drake? Why not a fox or a mink? Especially if most of the bodies were removed.


  • #3
    astonaidan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,456 ✭✭✭astonaidan


    Jelly2 wrote: »
    Are you sure it was the drake? Why not a fox or a mink? Especially if most of the bodies were removed.
    100% sure it wasnt, there is no way for either to get into the house


  • #4
    endacl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,412 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    astonaidan wrote: »
    100% sure it wasnt, there is no way for either to get into the house

    A house isn't a natural environment for ducks. Could this be affecting behaviour?


  • #5
    berettaman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 553 ✭✭✭berettaman


    Sorry to hear that.

    Do check the house/ fencing again. a mink or a stoat could squeeze through really tight spaces ( think a half inch garden hose). they get in, kill and go..

    Also if ducks have access to outside and a bit of water, even in a basin stuck in the ground, that is often enough to keep them from fighting amongst themselves.

    Decapitation can be a sign of foxes...just saying. Might be worth your while putting this on the hunting forum as a lot of the guys breed poultry and pheasants. They might have some ideas.

    Regards,
    B


  • #6
    Jelly2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 402 ✭✭Jelly2


    astonaidan wrote: »
    100% sure it wasnt, there is no way for either to get into the house

    But didn't you say three of the bodies were gone? The drake surely wouldn't have eaten them. If nothing got in where did they go? However, if they were all in the house together then a mink would probably have killed all of them if it had gotten in.


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  • #7
    astonaidan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,456 ✭✭✭astonaidan


    My logic as to why it wasnt a mink or fox is.

    There really is no way for them to get into the house at night
    They would surely have killed the ducks and drakes aswell
    Ive seen my indian runner drake eat bigger frogs than these ducklings

    Now I thought it may have been rats.
    But what makes me think it wasnt them is well we never have any of our eggs taken and last year they never took a duckling.

    The reason I think it was the drakes, is well we have 3 drakes and only 2 ducks and they are crazy aggresive mating wise towards said ducks


  • #8
    Kinzig
    Closed Accounts Posts: 222 ✭✭Kinzig


    cannibalism in ducks isnt unheard off..seems the dynamic of the group is maybe wrong in this case..heres an interesting link


  • #9
    fathead82
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 286 ✭✭fathead82


    could it have been magpies?
    I recently put 2 6 week old ducklings in with my ducks & the drake kept chasing them & pulling their feathers out.I think he was trying to mate with them,he has been moved to the hens pen until the ducklings grow a bit more.


  • #10
    astonaidan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,456 ✭✭✭astonaidan


    Kinzig wrote: »
    cannibalism in ducks isnt unheard off..seems the dynamic of the group is maybe wrong in this case..heres an interesting link
    The drake I have suspicons about is one with a previous record of drowning hens trying to mate with them.
    Whats funny though is he really never done anything to the baby chick the duck raised last year in her group of ducklings.


  • #11
    dodderangler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,204 ✭✭✭dodderangler


    I heard of chicks been killed by the cock and destroying them
    If the chicks are grabbed by the neck and shook hard enough the head will come off and if the chicks are gone it means more breeding for the cock
    Maybe its the same with ducks
    The bodies disappearing is a mystery though


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