[ballingall]

So last month we went to the poultry sale at Stirling, and we bought a few things, but among them we bought a hen and 5 pretty newly hatched Cayuga ducklings. We have reared them outside, in a small run on our back lawn/grassed area.

Two weekends ago we moved a house and run into our mini paddock. This is where our adult Cayuga's live, and also where we keep the goat kids in the spring. We moved the ducklings in there, so that we could start to leave open their run door during the day, and get all the Cayuga's used to living together. However, at night they have been getting shut into their small house and run, with the adult's getting shut away seperately. Its worked pretty well, they've all been getting used to each other, and mummy hen is starting too spend more time with the ex battery hens.

On Tuesday evening, Alex shut them in, and looked in the shed to see all 5 ducklings there with their foster mum. On Wednesday morning, my mum went to let them out to find out that there was only 1 duckling and foster mum left.

There are no signs of a predator. No dead ducklings, no scratching around the door, no feathers, blood, gore etc. Equally, there is no way one of the ducklings could get out of the house and run.

So what happened to them?


Beth

[Roxy]

Mmmm....mystery.  Surely if someone stole them, they would take the lot, including the hen.....unless they just grabbed what they could quickly.

We had some ducklings in a chicken coop, and a rat got in, but it killed them and we found the bodies, so if that had happened, you too would surely find some evidence, even if it was just a few feathers.

Whatever happened, I am sorry about your loss.

[Sylvia]

They may just turn up (as my "lost" Indian Game pullets did) I certainly hope so!

[CameronS]

Is there a possiblity of rats or crows ect, predators? We lost 2 out of three chicks to rats

[little blue]

Abducted by aliens?

[MiriMaran]

Maybe a thief with a warped set of morals?

[ballingall]

Well, no signs of them anywhere. We have no idea what happened to them, but gone they are anyway. The only good news is that at least the one who was left behind seems to be a girl, so she fits in well with our trio.


Beth

[shetlandpaul]

can you check under the house years ago a rat had some of our chicks and hid it them there.

[doganjo]

Now that is what i call lateral thinking.  I'd never have thought of that.  There might be a wee hole in the floor of the duck/hen house, Beth.  Worth checking I think.

[ballingall]

Will try that, but I think they would have struggled to get all the ducks through. Still worth a check though.


Beth

[northfifeduckling]

yes, we had ducklings fall through at the side of the floor. I hope they are alright, keep us posted