THE CRIME
Fatty Lumpkin was a duck. A large, white Peking male who waddled around the homestead behind his two female mates for the past 9 months. That is, until one day…
We had just taken a trip into the city to have a birthday lunch for my husband and to do some errands. When we came home, I was doling out kibble and noticed both our young livestock guardian dogs had a little bit of blood on them. Kanan had it on his ear, and Ivy on her paw. Well, I checked them over and couldn’t find so much as a scratch. But they are so hairy that the fur could have easily hidden it. Had they fought off a predator? Was it just from playing too hard? The ground was covered in freshly fallen snow, and it was getting dark. With a slight sense of unease, I also noted that our cat was nowhere to be seen. Grand Admiral Thrawn, as he is named, always comes up to say hi and never misses a meal. Had a predator come in our absence and been chased off? That seemed the likliest scenario. As we got ready for bed, it seemed that all was well. I’d like to say I did a head count of the birds at that time. But the truth is I don’t really remember clearly if I did or not. (We were already down to two ducks, having enjoyed one female for dinner with friends over the holidays.)
The morning came and with it a fresh coating of powdery snow, which covered any tracks that would provide evidence of the disturbance that had occurred. The cat was back home, and it was peaceful and beautiful. But as I was moving through my morning feeding routine, I noticed Kanan was withdrawn and disturbed. He didn’t want to eat, he didn’t want pets, he didn’t want to play. Clearly, the mysterious drama that played out the previous day was weighing on him.
I went back inside the camper to fix breakfast. My gaze wandered out the window, and that’s when I saw our female Peking duck, Fatty Lumpkin’s mate, cowering under a sapling and covered in blood. I called for my husband and rushed outside to evaluate the poor girl. Unfortunately, we discovered that we were not going to be able to save her. We also discovered that Ivy had more blood on her. This time on her chest. And that’s when it hit me. Where was Fatty Lumpkin? We searched all over. We trudged through the snow up the mountain and all over the homestead, looking for evidence of him. We found nothing. Now we had one mauled female and a presumed dead male.
Who dunnit?!
EVIDENCE AGAINST THE SUSPECTS
Ivy is a very recent addition to our homestead. Last spring, when she was still owned by friends of ours, she attacked a young hen. As previously stated, she had fresh blood on her when the female duck was found.
Coyotes are definitely around! We’ve seen them down by the creek on our land and hear them barking and howling in the surrounding state forest. They are also known for using a “snatch and run” strategy, which would explain Fatty Lumpkin’s complete disappearance without a trace.
Our area is home to a wide variety of birds of prey, including eagles and owls. Something I have worried about is having a bird snatched up from above. This would also explain the disappearance without a trace.
DEFENSE OF THE INNOCENT
IVY: Having a livestock guardian dog who attacks farm poultry would be a big problem. We spent days discussing if it could have been Ivy and watching her every move. Before we butchered the injured female, we observed her reaction to the bird. Ivy showed no blood lust or interest in finishing the job. She absolutely does bound off towards the birds with her goofy puppy enthusiasm, sending them squawking indignantly across the yard. However, I could not sense any real malice in it (and she has been receptive to correcting that behavior). My husband pointed out that it wouldn’t take much for a dog that size to maul a duck. And yet, observing the way she delicately nibbled at the discarded entrails of the female duck in the compost heap, showing no interest in the feet, head and feathers, I simply can’t imagine her devouring Fatty Lumpkin that quickly without leaving any evidence. And there likely would have been more blood on her, especially around her mouth. So, in light of this plausible doubt, Ivy has been deemed innocent.
BIRDS OF PREY: After de-feathering the female duck, we were able to evaluate her injuries. This was enough evidence to exonerate any birds of prey. The cuts on her flesh were clearly made by canine teeth. And the way both of her wings were broken in multiple places seemed to indicate being locked in the jaws of a predatory mammal. (As a side note, it was very interesting to see the eggs inside the poor girl in their varying stages of development.)
THE VERDICT
We can conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Coyotes are guilty. They came, snatched Fatty Lumpkin, and attempted to snatch his mate. Probably, they were chased off by Kanan.
The first predator attack on the homestead has been a sobering experience for all of us. But that’s the way things go when you choose this lifestyle. Certainly, the case of the disappearance of Fatty Lumpkin has driven home to Kanan what his job is. Ever since that day, he has patrolled our borders with unprecedented seriousness. He now answers the calls of the Coyotes with ferocious barking and rushes to the state forest border and asserts the boundary. We are all learning here, and the learning curve can be steep. But at this point, I have no plans to stop free ranging the flock and have complete confidence that as Kanan matures, he and Ivy will be more than capable of living up to the term livestock guardian dog.