KatontheLand
In the Brooder
- May 21, 2024
- 12
- 5
- 24
I have (or had) a small flock of 5 khaki campbells, 4 hens and 1 drake. On Friday evening, one 2 ducks returned to the coop (a hen and the drake). I have no idea what might have happened to the other three! Here are the possibilities I've come up with, and I would love your thoughts and input:
1. Predation. We free-range our birds and on rare occasions a coyote or hawk gets a bird. Obviously this is a possibility, but here are the things that are throwing me off: 1. I was home all day and didn't hear or see anything unusual. I don't hear EVERYTHING, but it's strange that three birds are gone and I didn't hear ANYTHING from either the ducks or chickens. 2. THREE birds in one go? A dog might kill that many birds for sport, but again, to not hear anything at all?? 3. I combed the property and so far haven't found any evidence of predation, no feathers or blood or anything. Sometimes a coyote will run off with a clean kill but again, three of them? And nothing? 4. The remaining ducks and chickens showed no evidence that they were wary of predators. In the past when something has gotten a duck, they retreat to the pond and hide in the cattails all night, and the remaining two returned to the coop like normal. And all of our chickens were out and about all day, not scared or sheltered.
2. They're stuck somewhere or otherwise on the property but alive. They have gotten stuck under pallets of hay before, but I looked everywhere I could think of, and the next day our remaining ducks didn't search or call for their flock mates, which they usually do (loudly) if even one of them is lagging behind or missing. The remaining two seem to know the others are gone.
3. They left of their own accord. But where?? They usually can't fly super far, although I know people have seen their khaki campbells go quite a distance. And also why, and why would the other two remain? If a wild drake stole them away somehow, I also would have heard that as they all make a fuss when wild ducks land on the pond. I checked the surrounding areas and haven't seen them or any sign of them, but maybe they made it farther than I think?
4. They've died some other way. We have had a couple random deaths of our birds with no sign of prior illness whatsoever and no sign of injury or illness after death (my best guess is from a toxin, either blue-green algae somewhere or maybe a toxic plant or mushroom? We have no poisons that we use or leave out on our property). But again, THREE?? All at once? And I can't find any bodies? All of the ducks are usually within a fairly small radius of the house so it's strange I wouldn't see even a single one if they all died somehow, and again I did comb the property and all their usual hangouts and nothing.
I definitely want to hear your thoughts and any other ideas you might have! Obviously predators are the most likely culprit but there are so many reasons that make me doubt it, so my next-best guess is they just flew away. Let me know what I'm missing!
1. Predation. We free-range our birds and on rare occasions a coyote or hawk gets a bird. Obviously this is a possibility, but here are the things that are throwing me off: 1. I was home all day and didn't hear or see anything unusual. I don't hear EVERYTHING, but it's strange that three birds are gone and I didn't hear ANYTHING from either the ducks or chickens. 2. THREE birds in one go? A dog might kill that many birds for sport, but again, to not hear anything at all?? 3. I combed the property and so far haven't found any evidence of predation, no feathers or blood or anything. Sometimes a coyote will run off with a clean kill but again, three of them? And nothing? 4. The remaining ducks and chickens showed no evidence that they were wary of predators. In the past when something has gotten a duck, they retreat to the pond and hide in the cattails all night, and the remaining two returned to the coop like normal. And all of our chickens were out and about all day, not scared or sheltered.
2. They're stuck somewhere or otherwise on the property but alive. They have gotten stuck under pallets of hay before, but I looked everywhere I could think of, and the next day our remaining ducks didn't search or call for their flock mates, which they usually do (loudly) if even one of them is lagging behind or missing. The remaining two seem to know the others are gone.
3. They left of their own accord. But where?? They usually can't fly super far, although I know people have seen their khaki campbells go quite a distance. And also why, and why would the other two remain? If a wild drake stole them away somehow, I also would have heard that as they all make a fuss when wild ducks land on the pond. I checked the surrounding areas and haven't seen them or any sign of them, but maybe they made it farther than I think?
4. They've died some other way. We have had a couple random deaths of our birds with no sign of prior illness whatsoever and no sign of injury or illness after death (my best guess is from a toxin, either blue-green algae somewhere or maybe a toxic plant or mushroom? We have no poisons that we use or leave out on our property). But again, THREE?? All at once? And I can't find any bodies? All of the ducks are usually within a fairly small radius of the house so it's strange I wouldn't see even a single one if they all died somehow, and again I did comb the property and all their usual hangouts and nothing.
I definitely want to hear your thoughts and any other ideas you might have! Obviously predators are the most likely culprit but there are so many reasons that make me doubt it, so my next-best guess is they just flew away. Let me know what I'm missing!
