hiya! i was wondering if anyone could help with my question about Mallards!

a week ago, i ended up with a mamma and 8 babies on my door step, i have a large pond behind my house, and neighbours and myself were contemplating what on earth to do with them all, since we have herons, red kites, foxes, crows, geese, and a million cats..

i ended up with an idea to keep them in my extended chicken run, and close it off from the chickens of course..

now they have been in there for about a week, and i am happy to keep them in there until they are less likely to be eaten/caught by the big bad meanies...

however, today one went missing. i searched in the box we gave them, and everywhere else too, yet no body to be found. i even emptied the mums drinking water in case it had drowned.

now i had been under the impression it had found a hole between the ground and cage, and popped out, being caught or dying somewhere..

however, when speaking to a friend tonight, her slightly drunken self, said that the mum had eaten it...

she seemed fairly quick with her response, but couldnt back it up at all... and i just wondered, DO THEY?!

i havent found a body at all, i looked all around where it might have gotten to, and also the mum didnt seem too distressed about it at all. =/

it would perhaps explain the strange disappearance!!!

thanks for any help you could give me! =P