Duck went missing!

[Quackattack717]

So I need some major urgent advice. One of my young Rouens went missing from my yard this evening & I am heartbroken. She left her sister. There was no evidence of struggle. No evidence that anything took her. But she is gone. Her sister is distraught and I’m not sure what to do. My husband is no help, he says we should just kill her because she’s going to be scared by this. She is not technically alone, we have two muscovies but we do close the door in the coop to separate them at night time because the muscovies aren’t very nice to the smaller ducks, now duck We also have two baby ducklings in the brooder so she will have flock mates.

On the other hand, what should I do about tomorrow. They usually free range ALL day while we work. I let them out at 6:30am-7 before I leave for work, they come out and eat and free range. My husband says they’re just going to get picked off one by one by whatever took the Rouen and he wants to let it happen, he is not handling this well what so ever. Please someone give me some guidance on this. We are new to having ducks & chickens and I don’t want to just lose our entire flock.

 

[Moby-Duck]

Don't panic yet! I have had this problem before. If there is no evedence of blood or signs of a struggle, she probably ran off to a hidden nest of some kind. The first time this happend to me, I was heart broken, but when I went to go check on them the next morning, there she was, hanging around. The next day I hung around when I let them out, and I found her nest.
So, give it until tomorrow night. If she does not show up by then she is probably gone. However, I really do think she is probably on her nest. I also would not kill her friend if she is gone. I would work to introduce her to the rest of the flock.
Best of luck to you!

 

[Quackattack717]

Don't panic yet! I have had this problem before. If there is no evedence of blood or signs of a struggle, she probably ran off to a hidden nest of some kind. The first time this happend to me, I was heart broken, but when I went to go check on them the next morning, there she was, hanging around. The next day I hung around when I let them out, and I found her nest.
So, give it until tomorrow night. If she does not show up by then she is probably gone. However, I really do think she is probably on her nest. I also would not kill her friend if she is gone. I would work to introduce her to the rest of the flock.
Best of luck to you!

I wish that was the case but she is only 9 weeks old, so not laying yet. her friend is introduced to the rest of the flock, they’ve been freeranging together for over a month. They just get separated at night because they older ducks are mean to the younger ones. I was thinking about giving her a stuffed animal to cuddle with at night when she’s all by herself.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Sadly that doesn't look good for your duck!
What kind of predators do you have where you live? - Some predators just grab the duck and run away with her, kill and eat her somewhere else.
In February my drake Donald went missing in broad daylight without a trace. My wife had seen a pair of Coyotes the evening before. Not sure they did that, but there was poultry missing all over the valley and about a week later one of the 'yotes had a date with a shotgun when trying to break into a barn full of piglets.
And in March a Racoon took one of my young Buff Orpington ducks out of the yard.
Both times no blood, no feathers on site.

 

[cmom]

If your duck was taken by a predator I'm sure the predator will be back for more. If you have a game camera, put it up then you will know what you're dealing with but until then shut them up while your gone. Giving it a stuffed animal is a good idea. I have done something similar but didn't have s stuffed animal so I wadded up a terry cloth and put it in and the chick snuggled right in. Good luck...

 

[Suedan]

My 9 wk old Rouen keeps flying away! She eventually makes her way back but she is very flighty. Fingers crossed your baby is in a tree. Hugs to you!

 

[Quackattack717]

My 9 wk old Rouen keeps flying away! She eventually makes her way back but she is very flighty. Fingers crossed your baby is in a tree. Hugs to you!

That was what we originally thought when we went out and she was missing. I said maybe she just took off and flew too far because they both had just started flying. I want more than anything that to be the case and one of these mornings or days after work we get home and there she is. But it’s day two of her being out there if that is the case.

 

[Suedan]

I'm so sorry! Hugs to you.

 

[Quackattack717]

So we think she was taken by a hawk. Any advice for trying to keep hawks away? We don’t want to start locking them up all day and only letting out for a few hours at the end of the day. They’ve been locked up during the day all of last week while we worked, but allowed them to free range this weekend while we were home. We plan on locking them up for another week. But hoping to let them back to free ranging while we’re gone eventually. I know hawks are harder to deter.

 

[BullChick]

I know it really hurts. If you missed it in the state thread, all four of my 12-ish pound ducks went missing during the day one at a time. I thought they were on nests until I knew they were not.
Four ducks, two roosters and three hens. Gone. I rarely have issues even without closing the coop at night. I only began having aerial attacks last year, and never anything over about eight weeks. I’m told this string was likely canine. I just know I had to quickly get a run up, and I am finishing up a chicken hatch this week. I doubt I will restart with ducks.