Where are my ducks?

[Miss Lydia]

I, too, lost ducks one at a time with no trace. Had to be flying predator. I don't live where my ducks do so was not there to see it. Area is known to have a fox. This year I built a floating duck house and my new four ducks were safe for at least six months. First week in December they flew off. I am hoping they will return next spring. The floating house kept this little flock safe.

Please let us know if they come back.

 

[Carcajou]

I have also lost ducks to nighttime predators and had to quickly change my operation which included a larger coop inside a fenced area.

smccuen - Let's hope your ducks do return!

 

[smccuen]

I hope they return. They were two drakes, two ducks and seemed to have paired off in the Summer. Then a week before their departure they engaged in some interesting ritualistic behaviors including the longest stretches of flying I'd seen from them as they went a hundred yards one way and then looped back toward the pool/pond where they lived and swooped low over it, the duck leading the drake. Then the drakes engaged in what looked like neck wrestling while the ducks looked on. When I returned to check on them a few days later one drake appeared to be shunned by the others who rested on the floating duck house while the "losing" drake walked the perimeter of the pool and quacked softly as if hesitant to get in the water. When I returned a few days after that to check on them they were all gone. On the one hand I was happy that being raised in those first few weeks by me they had, after about five months on their own at our abandoned pool, considerable "wild" instincts intact and could fly that well. On the other hand I will now worry for their safety vis a vis humans (hunters) during their travels and I will certainly be ecstatic if they return next Spring or Summer.
Will keep you posted and would love to hear from others on this site who've had "pet" ducks fly away, especially if they returned.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope they return. They were two drakes, two ducks and seemed to have paired off in the Summer. Then a week before their departure they engaged in some interesting ritualistic behaviors including the longest stretches of flying I'd seen from them as they went a hundred yards one way and then looped back toward the pool/pond where they lived and swooped low over it, the duck leading the drake. Then the drakes engaged in what looked like neck wrestling while the ducks looked on. When I returned to check on them a few days later one drake appeared to be shunned by the others who rested on the floating duck house while the "losing" drake walked the perimeter of the pool and quacked softly as if hesitant to get in the water. When I returned a few days after that to check on them they were all gone. On the one hand I was happy that being raised in those first few weeks by me they had, after about five months on their own at our abandoned pool, considerable "wild" instincts intact and could fly that well. On the other hand I will now worry for their safety vis a vis humans (hunters) during their travels and I will certainly be ecstatic if they return next Spring or Summer.
Will keep you posted and would love to hear from others on this site who've had "pet" ducks fly away, especially if they returned.

You should start a new thread to spark interest.

 

[desertdarlene]

It could be anything. Many predators grab and run without leaving a trace. The only thing you can do is lock up your ducks in a secure area, especially at night. There are a lot of predators, even in a busy city. I've seen foxes, raccoons, and even coyotes right in the middle of a large urban area with no canyons or large open areas nearby.

 

[enola]

Pet ducks don't migrate......

 

[3FordFamily]

What about gators?

People often take birds too if there is no evidence.

Coyotes and foxes tend to take the birds with minimal trace.

Never had birds of prey of any kind eat my birds when they are full grown.

With your enclosure-- be careful, raccoon can get in to professionally-built animal-proof cages. They learn quickly and can kill many in a night.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

About owls... We kept ducks once before, many years ago. We suspected an owl. Owls will sometimes eat just the head. I don't know why. At a different time, we also observed an owl hunting from our tv antenna. Not long after that, we had a big cat come up missing. So owls can and do take large prey. It just reinforces the idea that if you have small animals, if you want to keep them, you must take measures to make sure they are protected.

 

[3FordFamily]

About owls... We kept ducks once before, many years ago. We suspected an owl. Owls will sometimes eat just the head. I don't know why. At a different time, we also observed an owl hunting from our tv antenna. Not long after that, we had a big cat come up missing. So owls can and do take large prey. It just reinforces the idea that if you have small animals, if you want to keep them, you must take measures to make sure they are protected.

I have seen coons eat just the crops and neck, often a way to tell the difference between owl/coon victims. Somewhat unrelated, but to the reader who didn't know!

 

[smccuen]

Pet ducks don't migrate......

Hard to say that they qualify as pets. They weren't handled - just fed, sheltered outside and allowed to free range from early on. They lived on a five acre property with no people - feeding on bugs, algae, grass, dropped apples and pears from an old orchard about 20 feet from the pool and the occasional flock block. I came and went every week or two to mow the grass and to check on them. They slept on a floating duck house anchored in the middle of the deep end of an abandoned swimming pool also home to bullfrogs, fish and a multitude of dragonflies. They appeared to be very healthy and content. They were beautifully feathered and were active. They lived there, flying short distances from point A to point B in the yard, for about six months before apparently choosing mates among themselves and then flying away. I was surprised to see how well they could fly just before they departed. I'd been under the impression that non-wild ducks aren't good fliers. It is entirely possible they moved to a lake about a half-mile away (flying distance). I had hoped they might winter over on the 5 acre property. I'd built a straw home for them as a shelter from North winds. The straw home (about 8 bales with a thick OSB roof between the two layers of bales) was built right at the edge of the steps leading into the water so that no fox, etc could get to them without having to first get quite wet and, of course, having fallen in the pool alert the ducks to its approach. So they had two places at the pool to shelter and they also had a large barn available about 30 yards away.
I understand they aren't "wild" - but it's also a bit of a stretch to say they were "pets". They tolerated my presence nearby but didn't approach me. At any rate, I'm curious to see if they return in a few months. If they live happily somewhere else that's certainly a happy ending, too.