Someone STOLE my ducklings!!

DuneDucks said:

I probably would have agreed it wasn't possible, but after reading through the thread and then looking back at the picture of the ducklings, I'm leaning towards predator. Those ducklings are what, 3/4 weeks old? I could see them not having the strength to put up much of a fight while getting dragged through, thus leaving less evidence of a struggle, and I imagine their fuzz will leave a lot less of a trace than fully grown feathers would too.

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Miss Lydia said:

You’ll have to get her a drone for Christmas then she can really find out what the neighbors are doing!

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DuneDucks said:

I probably would have agreed it wasn't possible, but after reading through the thread and then looking back at the picture of the ducklings, I'm leaning towards predator. Those ducklings are what, 3/4 weeks old? I could see them not having the strength to put up much of a fight while getting dragged through, thus leaving less evidence of a struggle, and I imagine their fuzz will leave a lot less of a trace than fully grown feathers would too.

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BelovedBirds said:

I agree it seems possible, but perhaps unlikely. I mean, to take three but leave the rest? It does seem like someone could have just taken them. Either way, the crate was a bad idea

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FarmerGirl1010 said:

I moved my month old ducklings closer to the pond yesterday. To get them used to the area, I put them in a temporary dog crate kinda like this:
View attachment 3159626
This morning, I went to check on them. THREE WERE MISSING!!
The door was latched.
No trace of anything.
Nothing.
Here’s a picture I took yesterday before I moved them:
View attachment 3159627
Light grey mallard- gone
Crested pekin- gone
Mallard- gone
There is ABSOLUTELY NO way a predator got it or it squeezed through the bars.

AND GET THIS:
A couple days ago, three full grown pekin ducks appears by my pond. I had assumed someone didn’t need their pekin ducks and they wanted theirs to have a nice home. So, they dropped theirs off at our pond to join my full grown flock.

Maybe this is wrong. Maybe, they thought I took three of their ducks. So, they took three of mine? (Keep in mind my pond is next to the road) they may have noticed the three ducks? And came in the middle of the night to take three of my little caged up ones?

Idk but this is just so devastating

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SourRoses said:

Whatever happened, I would caution you against jumping to conclusions and accusing someone, especially someone you have to live near afterwards.
See if you can (safely) keep an eye on his pond, in case he really is holding them and may put them out later. Until you actually see your birds in someone's possession, you shouldn't confront them.
Also, this may sound like a nitpick but I think it's important to keep in mind, a real psychopath (psycho) is not only extremely rare, but has an absence of any empathy for others or themselves, and is not someone you would want to fight over poultry.
A sociopath lacks empathy for others but still feels it for themselves, and this condition is less rare but still not common.
Why does it matter? Casually branding someone with a serious psychological disorder allows one to "other" them, thus allowing a dismissal of their feelings and fair treatment.
This could lead up to an unnecessary fight with neighbors and diminish your family's reputation in the neighborhood.
I feel for you in the loss of your birds but I just wanted to caution you to be careful of letting your sincere distress turn into potentially misdirected anger.

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BelovedBirds said:

I agree it seems possible, but perhaps unlikely. I mean, to take three but leave the rest? It does seem like someone could have just taken them. Either way, the crate was a bad idea

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BelovedBirds said:

That is awful. I'm so sorry. I read through and am replying backwards-
Did you ever speak to the man accross the street?
You mentioned that mo neighbours have ducks, right? And pekins are flightless birds, so I'd say they were abandoned at your pond because the owner didn't want them. I dont think anyone took your birds thinking it was revenge.
Are the pekins male or female, have you adopted them into your flock?

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FarmerGirl1010 said:

All other ducks were unharmed.
And why would a predator latch the door back up?

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