Sadly

The duckling was alive first thing this morning, but at lunchtime we found it dead in the run.
And the mother hen was still dutifully guarding it.

Either it wasn't strong enough to survive, or there was a problem anyway ( which is why it ended up in our pond)

At least it didnt get attacked by the local hoodies whilst it was alive.

Broody goose

The geese (Gertrude and Gloria) usually go around as a pair, hissing enthousiastically at anything that passes close by . this includes hens and ducks as well as people. But for the past few days they hasn't been a pair - there's only been one of them.  The other one has gone broody  - it happened  last year as well, but last year she decided to sit on a broken plate for a few weeks.  This year There was an egg and a nest. Sadly  the local hoodies got the egg , but the Goose is still sitting on the empty nest.
She will hopefully get the idea quite soon and rejoin her buddy.

sitting

on an empty nest

The local Hoodies

We don't have foxes in Orkney so the hens cant get 'foxed' as they may do down South.
But we do have hooded crows  - the local Hoodie.

The Wikipedia page  lists their diet as  to include small animals.  And here that means newly hatched chicks  are a target.   The yield from the hatching chicks so far hasn't been good ( 5 chicks from 11 eggs for Emma the hen and 5 from 9 for Harriet the hen)

So they need protection - and we have netted one of the hen houses so that the hen and chicks can come outside and not be predated by the Hoodie