Yesterday we Couldn't find her fat tail anywhere. I didn't think there was any place she could escape. we talked to the neighbors, no one saw her. We called animal control and all the shelters, no reports of a duck on the loose...so I sat here in tears worried about my fat duckie. Well, a few hours later my 16 yr old goes umm mom docs in the yard. Sure nuff, there was my fat white duckie. All good right? nope. This morning she was gone again. There is no place in the yard we didn't search. Even under an old couch we are planning to haul to the dump. 2 eggs under there, so yeah, I guess she can squeeze her fat butt under the couch. But no duck there.
No sign of an attack, no feathers or body and 3 other birds out there that were just fine(kinda, more on that in a bit).
This morning I was out wandering around the yard hunting...no sign...then i hear a quiet quack...and D'Artagnan(her mate) goes running/limping across the yard. He stops at the back fence quacking in the way only a male duck in distress can. Pop, here comes a pretty white head under the fence...She squeezed her fat butt under the fence...a 4" gap and she got under it...I'm still scratching my head.
Of course miss obnoxious wouldn't come back under...so out I go with the electric drill to start removing boars. 3 off and I get back there...to find her and a nest of 8 eggs. wow. She was standing on them staring at me like whatcha gonna do now.
I couldn't leave her back there, she can get in the yard behind us as their fence is down...So, we grabbed the eggs and brought them in. We candled them and 6 were good. The kids put two in their little ufo incubator, the rest, well, I made a nest in the duck pen and settled them into it, I hope she takes back up with them. I tried to hide it a bit.
So the saga of Doc is over...I hope...and the ducks are now secured for the summer back in their pen(I let them loose all winter when we weren't worried about them destroying garden and yard).
D'Artagnan...kinda worried about him. He's limping. I've checked his foot and leg and joint several times. No swelling, no cuts, no sores, doesn't seem to cause pain when I manipulate it. I'm stumped.
I hope now that he's confined and won't be chasing the dogs it will heal up.
No sign of an attack, no feathers or body and 3 other birds out there that were just fine(kinda, more on that in a bit).
This morning I was out wandering around the yard hunting...no sign...then i hear a quiet quack...and D'Artagnan(her mate) goes running/limping across the yard. He stops at the back fence quacking in the way only a male duck in distress can. Pop, here comes a pretty white head under the fence...She squeezed her fat butt under the fence...a 4" gap and she got under it...I'm still scratching my head.
Of course miss obnoxious wouldn't come back under...so out I go with the electric drill to start removing boars. 3 off and I get back there...to find her and a nest of 8 eggs. wow. She was standing on them staring at me like whatcha gonna do now.
I couldn't leave her back there, she can get in the yard behind us as their fence is down...So, we grabbed the eggs and brought them in. We candled them and 6 were good. The kids put two in their little ufo incubator, the rest, well, I made a nest in the duck pen and settled them into it, I hope she takes back up with them. I tried to hide it a bit.
So the saga of Doc is over...I hope...and the ducks are now secured for the summer back in their pen(I let them loose all winter when we weren't worried about them destroying garden and yard).
D'Artagnan...kinda worried about him. He's limping. I've checked his foot and leg and joint several times. No swelling, no cuts, no sores, doesn't seem to cause pain when I manipulate it. I'm stumped.
I hope now that he's confined and won't be chasing the dogs it will heal up.
