What killed my duck?

[mirandaleigh]

We live close beside a pond and had 2 ducks that were closely bonded. They free roam a good bit of the time though they have a shelter and run that is well closed in that they can get in and out of when they like. I have never worried about them much because our seem dogs keep away most predators. The past couple of days were pretty stormy and rainy. This morning the female came up to the house alone and being very noisy. I was late for an appointment and had to leave her, but I knew something was wrong as she's never alone. As soon as I got home, I went to check on them. She was in the pond making loud calling noises and responding when I talked to her. She was afraid and took a lot of coaxing to convince her to come out. We found our male on the edge of the pond, body and head completely unharmed, but the neck bare to the bone. What does it sound like I'm dealing with? There are no tracks or they were washed away by the heavy rain.

 

[Bigwig]

Probably a dog.

 

[thomasboyle]

Sorry for your loss, and welcome to BYC. Your profile does not say where you live, but there are too many predators to list. I raise ducks in CT, and deal with foxes, coyotes, bobcat, raccoons, dogs, otters, weasels and black bears. Bobcats seem to cause the most problem for me, as they hunt during the day while my ducks are out and about, and most of the others hunt at night when the birds are safe inside the coop. I would keep your other duck inside for a while, as whatever it was may come back for another visit.