Willow Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 We lost our ducks overnight đ˘something ripped the top of the eglu off. No sign of the pin that should hold the top on, I wonder if whoever assembled it last just pushed the metal tab through the slot in the eglu lid. If it had been me I always use the pin but my husband is less careful. The bar was through it and it's been forced back such that we can't just pop the top back on. I'm going to have to wrestle it into position the metal bar has been bent. No sign of claw or bite marks on th eglu. Signs of something trying to pull the run apart it's quit every dented in places but that held. Has anyone else had this happen? I don't think this is a fox, could it be a badger? It's something powerful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 So sorry - what a shock. Have you noticed badgers in the garden before? As you say, some force used here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted August 13, 2019 Author Share Posted August 13, 2019 Only ever seen a badger in the garden once before many years ago when we kept quail, it was clearly interested and kept walking around the run but didn't try and get in. We've had fox attacks before but I'd expect to see bite marks on the eglu lid as it was pulled off, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 I am so sorry that you lost your ducks. I know badgers can be very strong but not much else about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Thatâs happened to me when I didnât put the pin in properly. Â Luckily it was empty. Â But talking of strange happenings. Â My friend Claire had her Brahma attacked through the air vent in the cube nesting box. Â It ripped its leg off. Â We are pretty sure it was a young fox. Â She doesnât have a run. Â The cube is in a very large fenced run with no top over it. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 If it was a badger, you'd expect to see claw and tooth marks - they would have taken the eggs too. Could it have been human vandals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 It is strange that the eggs havenât been taken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted August 13, 2019 Author Share Posted August 13, 2019 It does looks like a human yanked it off except I can't imagine it was a human vandal, our back garden is only accessible by people through the gates either side of the house that are usually bolted and the eglu and run are about 160ft down, the netting across between the house end of the garden and the duck area wasn't disturbed, garden backs onto a neighbours garden that's at right angles then a field and the deserted end of the allotments two gardens away. There's sheds half way down the garden with tools and bikes that weren't touched. In theory someone could get in the end but over fields/allotments and other Gardens  It would just be so so odd for a person to go to that much trouble. One of the ducks half eaten copse was nearby. Of course if a person had let them out during the night they would have been prey.   i was surprised the eggs hadn't been taken or even broken Clare one in the run near the eglu door was broken but that's all  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted August 13, 2019 Author Share Posted August 13, 2019 Patricia was it a fox that pulled the top off yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted August 13, 2019 Author Share Posted August 13, 2019 OH home so we went out again with torches and realised there were no more feathers than usual i.e. Unlikely to be an animal attack. He's adamant all of us always put the pin in. And thinking about it we realised that duck that had been part eaten had a broken neck but no wounds on upper body, she'd been eaten from one end more the way a scavenger coming across a copse might so we're coming around to the possibility it may have been a person who opened it up and killed the ducks. Which is far worse. đĽ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 I am so sorry you lost your ducks like this. Did you find the bodies of the ducks - maybe some of them got away!.  It seems very strange and did you find the pin for the eglu lying about at all?  Sad to lose them. Worse if it was humans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 (edited) 16 hours ago, Willow said: Patricia was it a fox that pulled the top off yours? Never knew, Willow.  Weâve never seen foxes here but that doesnât mean they donât exist.  We did lose one hen around the same time.  She just disappeared.  No feathers, or any other signs, she just seem to vanish into thin air.  Everyone else was fine.  I suspect she got locked out and we didnât notice.   So fox is the likeliest culprit.  I agree far worse if it was a person.  I just forgot to push thr pin down after cleaning it out. Edited August 14, 2019 by Patricia W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 If it was a person - I despair. Unbelievably it does sound like it though. I canât imagine how else those exact combination of things couldâve occurred. Unless I suppose an animal ripped the lid off, got caught up in the âexcitementâ of the birds, killed them by shaking them thereby breaking their necks and was then disturbed and ran off. Not sure which scenario is less likely... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Hmmm, horrible situation to be in - can you ask neighbours if they spotted anything or have seen footprints? I would rig up CCTV (I once had a situation (before the days of domestic CCTV) when a lunatic was walking across local gardens and nicking my eggs. I put a note on the egg ports to the effect that the hens were being mediated with a particularly strong worming med, and that eating the eggs was not advised and could cause problems to humans - never had a problem again!) Hope that you get to the bottom of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted August 14, 2019 Author Share Posted August 14, 2019 I've seen a fox shake a bird to break its neck to kill it but there's always a wound from the teeth on the bird. And always lots of feathers. Much as I don't want to beliege it was a person there's too many inconsistencies for it to be an animal attack i find the idea of someone sneaking into the end of my garden almost unbelievable, it's so out of the way it would almost have to be a neighbour which is particularly upsetting. i don't have any power that far down the garden. One of my cousins was going to look at sorting me some power for outdoor lights. I hadn't thought of cctv down the end. The garden feels very empty without the ducks but I think I'd best leave it a while before replacing them and think about upgrading the boundary fences at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 Have you found the ducks or have they run off. I think it could be a bit of each. The top has been fixed on corect and a predator has done the rest. I feel so sorry for you. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 I mean the top not been fixed on correctly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoid Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 15 hours ago, Willow said: Â i don't have any power that far down the garden. Sorry to hear about the loss of your ducks Many domestic CCTV cameras come with rechargeable batteries that easily last a week or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 Had you thought of wiring any new perimeter fences up to a car battery? So long as it's clearly signed, you can do that. 8 hours ago, Geoid said: Many domestic CCTV cameras come with rechargeable batteries that easily last a week or more. I have a set of external webcams by a company called Blink - they are powered by 2 AA batteries, which last around 2 years. There's a central hub, which can take up to 10 cameras. and has a decent range. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted August 17, 2019 Author Share Posted August 17, 2019 Geoid, Clare, food for thought cctv sounds easier than I thought. I think I'll take a look. when I get more ducks I'd like to know when a fox visits during the night and how long they hang around when they don't come to any harm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Is it possible to rig up some leccy fencing around that area? It's horrid when this happens, and even worse when you just don't know what went on, so are unable to prevent it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoid Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 If the metal locking bar is bent, it is well worth getting a new one. You can ring up Omlet and buy one for around ÂŁ7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 I didn't think about ordering new bar, was going to get oh to try and straighten but new bar would be better. Going to try again to get oh to make me a walkin run, it must be nearly 10 years since he said he would đ And get eglu securely raised off the ground the way Cinnamons Henley run had. That would make an animal attack on the eglu harder. I'll sort a few replacement bits then. I miss the ducks, garden feels very empty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 good luck with persuading OH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
