Missing Ducks!

[seashoreduck]

Age-9 week old mallards
3 females, 1 male
---one of the females in good spirits but with gimpy leg

2 males and 1 female were escappeee from their coop this morning, left open as per usual

got home later than usual to find NO ducks. They have cooped themselves up at night for about 4 weeks now

No feathers so I don't think there was an attack...

Yard very, very flooded from nearby stream

I know this is part of free range but I'm not sure what to do...they always come back to their coop

 

[Amiga]

I hope they come back. I don't free range so I cannot give you any good ideas there.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Seashore duck. Is it dark at your home now ? Have you trained you flock to come to a call? Sounds a little crazy, but they learn and it works. All of mine come a-waddling when I call "heeeeeere Ladies" Even the boys! LOL they really should be tucking themselves in if its getting dark, at least mine always have. That being said, I did have a 5 wk old wander away and stay gone for 4 or 5 days last fall, and that baby came back. So we named him "Lucky". Whenever there are puddles, my ducks do travel. They stick pretty close otherwise tho. I hope your flock is back now.

 

[seashoreduck]

They do seem to respond to the male's name....Charlie....but no luck

They do know to roost and have naturally gone in their kennel by dark for almost a month now....they have had run of the yard for a week and seem to know it's their home.

Of course with the advent of "flying" (really glorified flapping) they have been a bit more haughty.

And my yard is completely flooded....I'm near a river (like 5 feet) and backing up to a land prone to swamp....so they have loads of places to hide...I'm thinking the hour got a bit late and not having me to replenish their food they went on an adventure.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Well if yours are anything like mine, I guess they could've gone out dark partying and lost track of time, so to speak. In that case, I do think they would huddle up underneath a bush or something and then return in the am. Just my guess. I think I'd leave the coop open overnight and do you have a little light for the quarters?

 

[seashoreduck]

No light for their quarters perse, but a light between the house and barn that lights them a bit. I think it got dark and they just sat down where they were eating their bugs.

Got the 3 females, including gimpy, this morning. They were huddled by some tall grass...gimpy who hasn't made good use of her oil gland was soaked. They are now chowing down on a large bowl of food.

Male, Charlie, still on the lamb....however he has done his own thing before....and came back to the girl's hollers. Made the cage a bit more restrictive (still open air) so I'm sure that he will come trooping back. I'll do my own hollering when it's later (it's 5am here)

This is a relief, becuase if anyone would of been eaten/attacked it would of been Gimpy as she can't move as fast and cannot fly, whereas the others can. Now, Charlie is not the sharpest pencil in the box but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't make friends with anything that could kill him.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Well that is good news right? I would work on calling your ducks, with treats. Sometimes you want to get them locked up quickly, so IMO a good trick to teach. Another thing you could do to prevent the issue again could be to get a fenced pasture area. You might want to start a new thread on the duck's foot. Hope the drake gets back right away, too.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Did Charlie get back home?

 

[seashoreduck]

It ended up being Charlie and two ladies, Webby and duck duck who came back. Lizzy never came back.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It ended up being Charlie and two ladies, Webby and duck duck who came back. Lizzy never came back.

Well hopefully Lizzy is doing fine where ever she maybe. Glad to hear the others came home.