Never found out what exact cause was. They suspected viral infection that brought on pneumonia. She never appeared to have trouble breathing until the end.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost one of my 6 month old twin Saxony girls like that. Wouldn’t come off the pond at the end of the day - then unable to walk Next morning. Drove an hour and half to get her to avian vet - but it was too late. She was septic by then and euthanized soon after...
My ducks are always rowdy and don’t seem to really sleep At night. They do nap. Someone’s always watching and quaking in the duck house at night. Yes, they do mate at night too. Only my chickens are quiet in the coop all night.
That is one wicked raptor you have. We’ve got them down here too. They just have a lot more feeding options given the climate / habitats here than during the winter in WV.
Maybe an armed fleet of drones could take him down.
Thank you Miss Lydia. My boys are so sweet. They always wait to eat until after the ducks have had their fill. Even when I fill there water tub with meal worms😎.
I know that a lot of folks around here swear by donkeys and Great Pyrenees dogs to protect livestock from the coyotes , bobcats , wild hogs and such around . But that hawk probably wouldn’t even care about them they way it came straight on after you.
Your poor flock is definitely in shock😢. Maybe think about a pellet gun if you don’t have a shotgun.
We have some pretty large raptors that swoop in around my place often and they are just frightening.
Back to the drake topic... love my boy Herman❣️
He always keeps a look out and keeps the girls together. He always waits for the stragglers to be sure they come up to the duck house together after free ranging all day.
As others have stated - good to have at least 4 ducks per drake. Only got a...
Thank goodness my Saxony drakes are absolutely TERRIFIED of my 3 big red hens. I did have 1 very aggressive Pekin drake that tried to get close once and never forgot it ❣️.
Just the obvious suggestion = get those drakes some more girls or loose a drake...
I like the suggestion about Vaseline just to help maybe in the cooler temps.