Missing duck

[gryeyes]

I have a Cayuga pair, Thelma and Louise. They range freely with my flock of chickens.

For the past 3 days, Thelma has been absent. Neither of them fly, as they are pretty large ducks. The acre is fenced with chain link fencing. I haven't checked every bit of the property (like the land-lady's back yard, or all over the 1/3 of an acre pasture) but she is no where in my yard. Not under the trees where she liked to nap, or hiding in the blackberry brambles.

I have been hoping she has gone broody somewhere, it being Spring and all.

I am not missing ANY chickens. I cannot imagine a predator has taken her, and only her.

Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions to share where I might look for her? Or what might have happened to her? She's been laying for nearly a year, now, took a couple of weeks off lately and just started dropping an egg here and there about a week ago.

Louie doesn't seem to know where she is, either, and is very needy. He's always loved me nearly as much as he loves her.

 

[anaiyuk]

I don't have any suggestions but will subscribe this post in hopes that she will be found safe and you will post it!

 

[dumb_cluck]

I, personally, would keep looking every day. It could be something simple...or could be a predator carried her off.

Does your other duck seemed "concerned"? Then there is a potential "problem"...keep looking! God Bless!

 

[WriterofWords]

Yes predators will take one at a time if that is all they can carry. A couple of years ago I was losing one chicken, or one duck every few days, my predator was a human that time and they were caught. The next time it was a coyote and it grabbed two hens in 3 days before it was moved along. I sure hope she's broody!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Me too, I was missing a muscovy girl once, looked everywhere for her and some how she had crawled yes she would have had to have crawled up under my dh's work shop. I am still wondering how she got under there but she thought she was going to have a secret nest spot. nope put up hardware cloth to keep her out, sure hope your girl is sitting on eggs somewhere, they can get into the smallest places.

 

[HamandLily]

If she has been laying, she might have made a nest in a very hard to find place and could be sitting on eggs - I really suggest you get a search party out, take some treats and search the whole area.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
That's apparently what she was doing, but she came to a sad end by her nest.

I've looked all over for her, but didn't think to look underneath the canvas car cover over an old car the land-lady is storing on the property. Louie the drake always came from that direction, whenever I pulled down the long, gravel driveway coming home, or when I came out the front door for any reason. I had looked around the two cars (one has a cover, one does not) but never saw her.

Today, when I got home from work, Louie was hanging around the cars again, and I saw a black form out where there hadn't been one before, and knew the worst had happened.

Thelma's body had evidence of predation. I pulled up the corner of the car cover and discovered several broken egg shells - some of them from my flock of chickens! - and lots of black feathers. No sign of any duckling or chicks.

Louie didn't want me to pick up Thelma's body, but I had to take care of her remains, of course.

The location she chose to set on a clutch of eggs is nowhere near the chicken coops, which are all in my back yard. I have Nite Guard lights back there, which have actually prevented raccoon predation for over 18 months. I never thought to set any of those lights up in the front of the house, over by the old, stored cars, even though the Cayuga pair ranged the whole acre all night long; they seldom slept in the back yard.

I'm so sad at losing Thelma. Plus, Louie is now a widower.

 

[MissusDee]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Miss Lydia]

so sorry

 

[maralynn28]

I'm so sorry! That must have been horrible... Mine were taken by raccoons also but I never did find their bodies. I know it to be raccoons though, because the last time I actually saw one running away with my beauty in its mouth.

I am just grateful to not have found any remains, not for myself but because I think it would have just been too much for my 9yr old and 6yr old children to handle.