Hi all,
One of our three ducks has disappeared and I was wondering about possible causes and evidence I could look for.
Last night, about 9:15pm (this is Scotland, so starting to get dark by then), I happened to look out the window and all three were happily splashing around in the pond. It couldn't have been more than 15 minutes later I went out to close up the coops (opposite side of the house) and there were only two ducks present, but they didn't seem agitated or panicked, just sitting on the grass next to the coop as is their habit prior to bed.
These are not quiet or shy ducks - they like to make themselves heard, and all the windows were open so if there had been any commotion we would have easily heard, plus the only predators we have around here are very occasional foxes and badgers (which we hardly ever see anyway). There's also no sign of feathers or anything that I can see to indicate any kind of struggle (though I've no idea what to expect).
Is it possible for a duck to drown in a pond? (The pond is really murky at the moment because I bought enzyme tablets to break up the sludge so I can't see the bottom). It doesn't have any vegetation, etc. so nothing they could get tangled in, but they do sometimes try and get on each other's backs (in spite of all being female). I really can't think of any other possibility other than that and predators (they're khaki campbells so can't fly at all).
It's driving me a bit crazy not knowing what could have happened, so any suggestions would be appreciated!
Many thanks.
One of our three ducks has disappeared and I was wondering about possible causes and evidence I could look for.
Last night, about 9:15pm (this is Scotland, so starting to get dark by then), I happened to look out the window and all three were happily splashing around in the pond. It couldn't have been more than 15 minutes later I went out to close up the coops (opposite side of the house) and there were only two ducks present, but they didn't seem agitated or panicked, just sitting on the grass next to the coop as is their habit prior to bed.
These are not quiet or shy ducks - they like to make themselves heard, and all the windows were open so if there had been any commotion we would have easily heard, plus the only predators we have around here are very occasional foxes and badgers (which we hardly ever see anyway). There's also no sign of feathers or anything that I can see to indicate any kind of struggle (though I've no idea what to expect).
Is it possible for a duck to drown in a pond? (The pond is really murky at the moment because I bought enzyme tablets to break up the sludge so I can't see the bottom). It doesn't have any vegetation, etc. so nothing they could get tangled in, but they do sometimes try and get on each other's backs (in spite of all being female). I really can't think of any other possibility other than that and predators (they're khaki campbells so can't fly at all).
It's driving me a bit crazy not knowing what could have happened, so any suggestions would be appreciated!
Many thanks.