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A Little Heartsick

November 4th, 2012 at 03:20 am



Racoons should not be strong enough to pull out 1 inch construction staples. They just should not. It's been a very tough day today. That bleeping racoon managed to pull just enough of the chicken wire loose on the duck den in the middle of the night to reach inside and try to get at the ducks. Patches went down defending Lady and that darn critter tried to pull him through a 3 inch opening. He did not survive it. At least his body blocked the racoon from getting in and killing Lady, too.

Lady is tucked into one of the nesting boxes in the chicken coop for the night. At least racoons can't yet seem to pull out 4 inch screws. I am just so upset and angry at that racoon. It's hard to lose 3 animals in the space of a few days, especially when you have raised them since they were a day old. The ducks were not pets, but they were more than just livestock. They were productive members of the household, producing eggs for food and lots of antics for our enjoyment.

After the first attack we reinforced the duck den but commissioned a new one made with screws and locks. It'll be delivered tomorrow. I'm not sure if Lady will want to go in by herself, though. I just wish Patches had made it; then there would be two.

We put a notice up at the Feed Co-op saying we were seeking 2 to 3 grown ducks, preferrably Cayuga to keep Lady company. Don't know if we'll get a response or not, but hopefully there will be someone who got baby ducks at Easter time and now are done with them (a frequent occurrence, sadly).

Hopefully I'll feel up to doing my payday post tomorrow. Right now all I can think about is those poor ducks.

12 Responses to “A Little Heartsick”

  1. snafu Says:
    1352001684

    so sorry that bleeped raccoon killed another duck, That's so awful! Would it be possible to rig a motion light on the new duck den and chicken coop as protection from nocturnal raiding raccoons? Hope you're offered ducks as a result of your notice. I wonder if you'd get results from a *WANTED* ad from CraigsList?

  2. LuckyRobin Says:
    1352003219

    Probably. There's a light fixture back there that could hold a motion light. It's just rusted closed. It would need some dealing with up a ladder, but it is a very good idea.

  3. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1352006665

    Frown OMW - Reading this makes me so sad. I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you find a solution to keep Lady safe. Frown

  4. creditcardfree Says:
    1352038229

    I'm so sorry. I can completely understand why it is so sad for you and your family. Fingers crossed you find another duck or two very soon.

  5. Kim Says:
    1352041644

    Do you have a live trap? My friends had some issues lately and they caught a couple racoons with our live trap. P.S I responded to your post on my blog.

  6. Looking Forward Says:
    1352042809

    Oh Robin that sucks! Frown I can remember going through a similar time with a group of laying hens when I lived at home. Whatever predator it was would find any tiny weakness and get in. Chicken wire was too flimsy too; it can get pushed and pulled to make a hole. That was the biggest reason when we got our own hens years later I put them in a dog kennel. I also have the inside lined in "hardware cloth" which is that close grid mesh wire that is very stiff.

  7. Thrifty Ray Says:
    1352046079

    Raccoons are very mean critters. My son always hated raccoon calls.So sorry this one keeps getting to yours..I hope you are able to pick some new ducks up.

  8. PNW Mom Says:
    1352046234

    I'm so sorry....that is just terrible! Frown

  9. Petunia 100 Says:
    1352052142

    Oh, I'm so sorry, Robin. Frown Best of luck to you with finding some new ducks to keep Lady company. I hope the new den keeps Lady and any new ducks safe.

  10. LuckyRobin Says:
    1352061471

    Kim, we don't have a live trap, though I am thinking of getting one. With our luck lately, we'd catch the skunk that goes through about once a week instead of the racoon though!

    Everyone else, thanks so much for your kind words. And I am definitely done with plain old chicken wire. We'll be using hardware cloth from now on if there's a window on anything and fastening it from the inside.

  11. SnoopyCool Says:
    1352215165

    I'm sorry. We had issues with either raccoons or cats killing our chickens a while ago so I know how you feel. DH ended-up making our brood pen into Fort Knox, and we haven't had any issues since. Just wish we had done it sooner.

  12. Ima saver Says:
    1352315627

    I am so sorry too. We raised ducks for a while when we first moved here and I really enjoyed them.

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