Newly adopted Khaki Campbell Drake vanished without a trace!

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Well, STILL no Fred. Searched the property more and still not even a feather in a 1/2 mile radius! Found 4 aluminum cans, 2 bottles, and 2 old garbage bag piles prob the handy work of a thieving bear tho. Also checked most of the other local ponds (No Ducks) as well as put the word out to watch the big lake nearby.

We kinda have another theory, and it is not very good....
The wife took this photo a few months ago. This guy came down and grabbed a bass out of our pond and ate it on the shore. Heard that they prey on ducks and would have had no problem flying off with a 5lb drake. The speed that it could have happened, could also be why the girls never really saw or digested what happened. Then could have flown for miles away. ???? Never in our years have we lost a duck to, or even had a problem with flying predators, let alone a freaking EAGLE! Tho, still cannot confirm.

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A very big possibility. We have Eagles at the river down below us but have never had one up here.
But when we had a red tail fly in and get one of my bantam hens the only one making noise was my rooster who was hiding in the coop. The rest of the chickens were hiding and the ducks and geese were all piled up at the gate to the back yard totally freaked out. I can't imagine your ducks not being upset if something flew in and picked your drake up and flew off. Of course, all things are possible
 
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Miss Lydia said:
I bet there are many drakes in need of a home. :)

Very sorry you lost yours.
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Thank you for your kind words.

The girls were visibly sad, but Maverick the baby goose was doing his best to keep lookout for them. We did find a Khaki boy to re-home and brought him home Thursday. He is a little flighty, but is blending in with the group exceptionally well!
 
Miss Lydia said:
That is so nice for your girls and for the drake. Pictures when you can
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Fred was such a pretty Drake in his "Midnight" coloring. He was a sweet boy and will be missed even tho we only had him a short time. At least he got to know what it was like to be a spoiled duck.

This is Walter, aka Mr Duck. He is a little skittish, but a fantastic lookout and alarm drake. Kinda reminds us of a younger Cheez-it in that way. He also has a bit of a "holiness" about him. (if ya zoom in to see his neck) Considered calling him Father Walt. LOL

And THEN,....THERE IS Maverick! Oh boy! What a high maintenance little whining baby! He is also a total goofball and a big pool-hog goose.

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4Qwackers said:
Yeah, i figured a cyote could get over the heavy gauge 1.5x3" wire fence if it really wanted to, but its definitely an added barrier to add some time for a retreat. We haven't had an issue with them around the house, especially in the daytime. Tho, its never a problem... Until it IS, right? As i mentioned, i did an extensive perimeter search paying extra attention to trails an access pathways and not even a feather let alone any remnants. Spent ALL DAY out there yesterday searching. He just up and vanished in less than 5 min! Another sucky part is that our backyard camera isn't scheduled to record events until after 6pm and we don't have a DVR or cloud storage so i couldn't go back and look. :-/

I find it hard to imagine that he would be bypass our pond, let alone have the flying ability to do so. Also weird is the reaction of the girl's and the goose. They are showing NO SIGNS of any traumatic experience and are going on like nothing ever happened, like he just up and left. This is also Very unlike them! The goose also screams like a Banshee, but never did. In my limited experience of 6.5 years with ducks, I have noticed that they have quite a memory when it comes to trama to themselves or a flock member. They only just seem to miss him cuz he is not there anymore. Mav definitely misses his bro.

Gonna go visit some of the other bodies of water near by just incase he might be alive still. From his limited "life skills" i wouldn't think he wouldn't last long in the wild.
That is why i figured i'd put it out there for ideas and opinions from people that have way more experience collectively than we could ever have. All is appreciated!

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4Qwackers said:
Yeah, i figured a cyote could get over the heavy gauge 1.5x3" wire fence if it really wanted to, but its definitely an added barrier to add some time for a retreat. We haven't had an issue with them around the house, especially in the daytime. Tho, its never a problem... Until it IS, right? As i mentioned, i did an extensive perimeter search paying extra attention to trails an access pathways and not even a feather let alone any remnants. Spent ALL DAY out there yesterday searching. He just up and vanished in less than 5 min! Another sucky part is that our backyard camera isn't scheduled to record events until after 6pm and we don't have a DVR or cloud storage so i couldn't go back and look. :-/

I find it hard to imagine that he would be bypass our pond, let alone have the flying ability to do so. Also weird is the reaction of the girl's and the goose. They are showing NO SIGNS of any traumatic experience and are going on like nothing ever happened, like he just up and left. This is also Very unlike them! The goose also screams like a Banshee, but never did. In my limited experience of 6.5 years with ducks, I have noticed that they have quite a memory when it comes to trama to themselves or a flock member. They only just seem to miss him cuz he is not there anymore. Mav definitely misses his bro.

Gonna go visit some of the other bodies of water near by just incase he might be alive still. From his limited "life skills" i wouldn't think he wouldn't last long in the wild.
That is why i figured i'd put it out there for ideas and opinions from people that have way more experience collectively than we could ever have. All is appreciated!

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It is a fact that most other breeds of domestic ducks can't fly, EXCEPT Khaki Campbells. I have a Khaki Campbell drake named Smokey that is truly the best pet I've ever had, but he can and will fly. He has flown over 40 feet in the air, and lands beside me every time. When we hatched out his eggs, his 2 daughters are able to fly as well.

Khaki Campbells, even though many sources on Google say they can't fly, take my word for it...THEY CAN!!! Smokey has never flown away, so I let him keep his wings to be able to escape predators. But I have had ever ducks that, when they started getting picked on, they flew away, which is probably what happened with your boy. Trust me...I have never had a predator attack my birds without leaving enough feathers around the yard to fill a mattress. I hope and pray your boy returns to your yard. But the good news is it probably not a predator. Many ducks return to their homes. There is still hope. Thank you for coming to BYC. At BYC, we are all family, and here to help each other. Ducks are my passion after getting Smokey. He is nicknamed The Miracle Duck, because he has a very inspirational and divine story. He is the only bird of mine that loves me like I love him. I know it is hard. My prayers are with your duck and you.
 

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