marvelfanatic22
In the Brooder
- Aug 2, 2020
- 15
- 12
- 24
Hey everyone!
I don't know if there is anyone that help, but some thing grew out of concern in the last 2 days. We had a mommy and her 6 ducklings that would always come to my community and eat. We do not own them or anything, they are free to do whatever they want. They just happen to come to our backyard alot especially because we are next to the lake. They have been coming to our place about 2 months. Yesterday was the first time that they did not come all day which meant some thing was wrong. They usually come inside our backyard between 7:20 AM to 10 AM. Only once before they came a late but they were still 6. Usually, they leave around sunset to an unknown place, but we thought they were always in the community.
Because they didn't come all day, my parents went and searched for them. When they couldn't find them here, they checked outside a community and found the mommy duck but only with 2 ducks. I instantly thought that they were attacked by a raccoon or possum since I see them around at night. However, these ducklings were about 10+ weeks old and some were the size of the mommy, so my dad thought there was no way it could be a prey to kill all four big ducklings at once. My dad believes that someone is catching them to eat. This is because there is another community connected with ours but it is not gated (and that is where we believe the ducks have been sleeping at night). However, if you were to eat a duck, you want them full sized, not still as ducklings that have barely even formed their caruncles and wings. The only other thing I can think of is that someone did catch them but to put up for sell. I was wondering if someone can help. Is there anyway we can find those four and what would be the best explanation. We don't live in a rural area, so everything just seems odd. Thanks!
UPDATED:
I feel like I need to add more context to this because there is a lot of odd things out of this that make it appear that someone took them.
Of the 6 babies, three are not hers. We once had another mommy duck who was attacked and killed by a raccoon. At that time, she had 9 babies left, and under an instruction from a conservation that I called, we saved them and gave the babies to this mommy duck who had 6 babies. Her babies were slightly older and bigger than the ones we gave but she accepted anyway.
For about a month, she was losing some from her litter (only 1-2 at a time varying days) and the ones we gave her, up until 3 weeks ago it was consistently the 6 I am speaking about. Yesterday, all three of her biological ones and one of the adopted ones (who was also big) are missing. The only ones remaining are the two more smaller ones. That is why we are under the impression that someone may have stolen them to sell in the community next door.
I am not sure the legality of that, but I am aware that Florida has laws about these ducks because muscovies are invasive species here. While we were under the impression that a possum or a racoon took them, four going missing in just one rainy night seems completely odd. You would think only 1-2, but four doesn't add up.
I don't know if there is anyone that help, but some thing grew out of concern in the last 2 days. We had a mommy and her 6 ducklings that would always come to my community and eat. We do not own them or anything, they are free to do whatever they want. They just happen to come to our backyard alot especially because we are next to the lake. They have been coming to our place about 2 months. Yesterday was the first time that they did not come all day which meant some thing was wrong. They usually come inside our backyard between 7:20 AM to 10 AM. Only once before they came a late but they were still 6. Usually, they leave around sunset to an unknown place, but we thought they were always in the community.
Because they didn't come all day, my parents went and searched for them. When they couldn't find them here, they checked outside a community and found the mommy duck but only with 2 ducks. I instantly thought that they were attacked by a raccoon or possum since I see them around at night. However, these ducklings were about 10+ weeks old and some were the size of the mommy, so my dad thought there was no way it could be a prey to kill all four big ducklings at once. My dad believes that someone is catching them to eat. This is because there is another community connected with ours but it is not gated (and that is where we believe the ducks have been sleeping at night). However, if you were to eat a duck, you want them full sized, not still as ducklings that have barely even formed their caruncles and wings. The only other thing I can think of is that someone did catch them but to put up for sell. I was wondering if someone can help. Is there anyway we can find those four and what would be the best explanation. We don't live in a rural area, so everything just seems odd. Thanks!
UPDATED:
I feel like I need to add more context to this because there is a lot of odd things out of this that make it appear that someone took them.
Of the 6 babies, three are not hers. We once had another mommy duck who was attacked and killed by a raccoon. At that time, she had 9 babies left, and under an instruction from a conservation that I called, we saved them and gave the babies to this mommy duck who had 6 babies. Her babies were slightly older and bigger than the ones we gave but she accepted anyway.
For about a month, she was losing some from her litter (only 1-2 at a time varying days) and the ones we gave her, up until 3 weeks ago it was consistently the 6 I am speaking about. Yesterday, all three of her biological ones and one of the adopted ones (who was also big) are missing. The only ones remaining are the two more smaller ones. That is why we are under the impression that someone may have stolen them to sell in the community next door.
I am not sure the legality of that, but I am aware that Florida has laws about these ducks because muscovies are invasive species here. While we were under the impression that a possum or a racoon took them, four going missing in just one rainy night seems completely odd. You would think only 1-2, but four doesn't add up.
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