What killed my duck?

[RitaK]

I let my two ducks (Frank and Millie) out of their house this morning and they wondered to the pond as usual. They usually wonder up to the house a few times a day or on to the deck for peas. I didn't see them all day, so I figured they were on the other side of the pond. When I went to call them in for the night only the female came up. I knew something bad had happened to Frank. I sent my husband to look for him. He found Frank dead on the edge of the pond where they sometimes nap. No puncture wounds, no blood. It looks like he maybe was shook? There were some feathers by his body and a few in the water. There aren't any dogs that roam free. We lost one duck earlier this year to a raccoon that decapitated her. If it were a fox or a coyote, they would have eaten him, right? What was it? What should I do with one female duck? I don't think she is safe by herself. So sad tonight...

 

[thomasboyle]

Sorry for your loss. I raise both mallards and pekins, and most often when I have lost a duck, there is never a sign of the duck or the attack. Just a duck that does not come home. A fox or coyote would usually carry the duck off, and there would be no sign of him or her. Ducks are social birds, so I would try and find another male for your remaining duck.