Advice on how to get our runaway duck back home 😭

[shawluvsbirds]

@shawluvsbirds I'm planning on going there since I'm going to a place which is a 30 minute drive from Kralingen (where the duck is) tomorrow. Hopefully she will be on land. Will bring a landing net and mealworms....

I know it's a long shot and appreciate your advice

I've had to clip my calls wings so i can free range them since i have moved. I had them fly over my fence.
Where i lived before they would occasionally get out of the pen and I'd have to herd them back.
Generally if they can see and hear the others they will come back to the pen and run the perimeter of the fence, cage or whatever looking for a way in.
It's a slow and steady thang getting them herded where you want them.

I use my dog to help me put tjem in their pen sometimes by putting him in a sit stay on the opposite side of the door I'm herding them to as a deterant for them over shooting the door.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I have some calls too, But wouldn't it be better to take one of her own flock? She maybe recognizes them.. And the fact that I'm going to an appointment before which will take several hours and the duck will be in my car all the time.

Probably better if she brought hers, but i imagine any vocal duck would do.
I think the main thing is getting her off the water and far enough away from it so it's not an easy escape back to the water.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

That is so incredibly kind of you to offer! You are welcome to come and check it out and offer any help or advice you can, but please don’t feel obligated in any way.

Is there a possibility to direct message on this forum to exchange contact information?

Also to answer this question.. yes. Click on the users name you want to direct message and this will come up..

then click start conversation.

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Thank you again @shawluvsbirds, much appreciated! Maybe I take one of my calls too then... Will decide tomorrow. Hopefully it's not needed anymore.

I already send OP a direct message upon her request, we have a way of contacting each other directly now.

 

[RosalieP]

@Yardmom @shawluvsbirds

Thanks for all your replies and advice! Much much appreciated!

We had their wings clipped before but I didn’t do it again after their molt. I feel stupid about that now.

Herding and cornering her might be tricky. There is a pretty busy street close by and also a much larger lake. I don’t want her to end up there. She is with a group of other ducks now and I see she copies their behavior. These ducks are easily spooked when I approach and she follows their lead after a few seconds of what seems hesitation.

We are thinking of setting up some sort of cage or portable pen in which we can safely put the other ducks and figure out a way to close her in from distance when she does approach them by pulling a cord or something. I have seen some examples online that should be fairly easy to build. Making sure she can only see the other ducks from one side is helpful additional advice.

Our other 3 ducks decided they didn’t want to come to their pen tonight either. No duck is listening to me anymore
Just kidding, they stay out on the water or in a neighbours yard from time to time, that’s fine and not something I worry about. They usually come for food the next morning. But if they don’t, I might not have a duck at hand to lure her with tomorrow, if you decide to swing by @Stipenvlerk. I wouldn’t want you to stress out any of your ducks though, by taking them on a roadtrip all the way over here.

Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to respond today!

 

[RosalieP]

We live in the Netherlands and we have 4 white call ducks that we raised ourselves. They get to free range during the day in our yard, a stream that runs behind it, the neighbouring gardens etc. and they are closed in their pen at night.

Last Friday something presumably spooked them and two of them flew away. We found one the same day fenced in on a private parking lot a couple of streets over, so she was easy to catch. The other duck was found the next day. She ended up on a nearby lake and has since moved to a smaller pond next to the lake.

We tried to catch her, but we have not been succesful thus far. We tried swimming after her and paddle boarding to her, but she always swims or flies away. We tried getting her to come to us with food and calling her. We tried to lure her with the other 3 ducks in an improvised pen on the edge of the pond, so they could see and hear each other. But no luck!

Thankfully she seems to be doing okay on the pond. There are other ducks there that she hangs around with. She is quacking a lot though so maybe she is not 100% comfortable (yet).

If anyone has any advice or tips on what we can do to try and catch her, it would be much appreciated! We are not ready to give up on her yet.

UPDATE: WE COUGHT OUR DUCK!!

 

[RosalieP]

 

[Callender Girl]

I love a happy ending! Hurray for you and your duck!

 

[SmiYa0126]

The adventures she had! I thought about getting ducks, but we have a steam nearby... Just a short walk.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Yay!! are you going to tell us how you got her back?

What a sweet picture. What a story she can tell her kids[if she ever has any]lol