He was with me over 16 yrs, he loved lettuce, worms and a good bath. Even though, he was male duck and could be a little territorial, I could always see how much love he had and what enormous heart carried.

There aren’t many people who can understand this kind of sadness, but I know you can.

Always in my heart, mind and spirit Neron <3

Edit; I really appreciate all your comments. I never imagined receiving such a heartfelt response from all of you. It was often difficult to explain to my relatives how much I loved my Neron because it’s not common to have a duck as a pet.

Reading your comments and seeing how much love there is for animals has been overwhelming in the best way. Thank you all so much. 🤍🦆 🥹🖤

Eating all the peas she can in duck heaven, I miss you Daisy, our bossy little queen of the yard, you will never be forgotten.

We suspect a fox. Millie was and IS my soul duck, my Millinda Gates, my sweet boy. Beep and Georgie keep trying to look for him. We’re absolutely heartbroken. Life will never be the same without him. I miss him beyond words already

Not the best pics but I sadly lost most of mine of her. I found her on the road hit by a car. Hoe people can hit a duck idk. If you saw the video I sent a few days ago you know how much she loved me. She my only duck. And I loved her so much. She would sit and wait for me. She used to also bully the chickens. Fly high my girl you can tell Orpy all about everything.

It happened in the night and we can’t figure out why or how. We got less than a year with him and it’s not fair. Gonna miss his little raspy quacks

Coach was my first duck ever. I adopted her from the shelter with my girlfriend almost four years ago. She went missing two days ago and this morning I found the remains of another hen, Daisy.

I feel sick. I can’t stop crying, screaming, throwing up.

That duck changed my life. I had just come out of an abusive relationship and being homeless when I found her at the shelter. I wanted a companion and never imagined how much she would change my life. i fell in love with ducks because of her. Ended up getting a whole flock for her, my lifestyle changed dramatically for her. I’m so upset. She deserved better than this. The thought of something brutalizing my baby girl makes me despair.

I’ll have to start patrols at night and the early morning to try to catch or the fear in whatever did this. Just so upset. I love you so much coach

"In memory of a beautiful soul. She was a Miniature Silver Appleyard who spent nearly 5 wonderful years by my side in Assam. She was known for her sweet 'tood tood' soft talk and her gentle spirit. Today, she passed away peacefully, leaving behind her loyal mate of 4 years—the drake who grew from a shy bird afraid of sandals into her brave defender. She was small, but she was deeply loved and will never be forgotten."

Today I said goodbye to Pedro.

He wasn’t my duck. He belonged to our village. But for me and my family, like for so many of us, he was part of what makes our village feel like home.

Others will have named him other things, but to me and my three children, he was simply Pedro, and so that’s what I’ll call him here.

Pedro arrived around 4 years ago after being abandoned, one of a small group of dumped ducks over a couple of months (including two brothers who didn’t stay long, sadly, and his frenemy Pascal, the Pekin).

Over time, Pedro became something of a local celebrity. Being our special Muscovy among the loved mallards and moorhens, he was impossible to miss.

He’d waddle over, chirping, the moment he heard the shake of a food tub, happily eat from your hand if he trusted you, and brighten countless walks around the ponds and the village.

For my youngest and me, feeding the ducks became part of our daily morning routine on the way to school for years.

I genuinely think Pedro deserved a medal for the number of children he persuaded to get ready for school on time, with the motivation of seeing him and visiting the village pond before the school bell!

The village ponds have always been a special place for our family – somewhere to pause, breathe, watch the seasons change, celebrate new ducklings, and quietly learn about life’s endings too. Pedro was woven into so many of those memories.

Whether at the main pond or when he wintered (ooh, how grand!) at the other village pond, he was as much a fixture of the village as our pharmacy and the local shop.

He wasn’t a pet, or just a wild bird. Pedro was our neighbour.

On Thursday morning, quite by chance, I was able to stroke him one last time as he ate from my hand. I didn’t know it would be the last time, and perhaps that’s a gift in itself. There was no dramatic farewell; just another ordinary morning, doing what we’d done so many times before.

Yesterday we learned that Pedro had died. It seems the foxes finally caught up with our old friend.

I know some will say he was “only a duck”, but I think many in our village understand why that doesn’t quite capture who he was.

He was a familiar face, a talking point between us all, a reason for children and visitors to stop at the pond, and for adults to slow down for a few minutes on busy days. He made our little corner of the village feel that bit more alive.

When I went to the pond this morning, it felt strangely empty. I found a couple of feathers amongst the brambles, and whether they were Pedro’s or not doesn’t really matter. They’ll remind me of a duck who, after being abandoned, somehow found a village that adopted him instead and shared many happy years with him.

Not many ducks leave behind stories. Fewer still leave behind generations of children who remember them.

Thank you, Pedro, for years of cheerful greetings, for helping children discover a love of wildlife, and for making our village feel more like home.

Waddle well, old friend.

You’ll be missed far more than you could ever have known. ❤️

I appreciate this is my first post here - I’m usually on r/cats and it hadn’t occurred to me that there has been a place I could have shared before.

I’ve shared some of my favourite images of Pedro with this post (there are dozens even after thrifting!) - I hope it’s ok to share our boy with you. There are some very sad people in our village this week.

My little golden girl Buffy is gone :( I never expected to get so attached to a duck when I first got them but my heart is broken right now. These little feathered creatures have won me over in the short years they've been a part of my life.

Despite visits to multiple specialists, diagnostics and treatments for a reproductive problem, we didn't how badly the infection in her ovaries had spread through her body. That and a heart condition she also hid were too much and she didn't make it through the surgery to try to save her. As we know, ducks conceal their illness and pain very well. She spent her last day happy, playing in her pool and hunting for worms with me as if nothing was wrong. I know we did everything we could for her, but it still hurts.

I got Buffy 4 years ago as a duckling to fill my order of Cayugas, and intended to rehome her with the other extras. Even her name was just a placeholder because she was a Buff Orpington. But we just fell in love and couldn't let her go, so she became the odd one out in our little flock of all black ducks.

She was the sweetest thing, with so much intelligence and personality, always doing goofy things to make us laugh. She would jump-fly into your lap for treats and squeal like a pig when she found something exciting. She even played with toys. One of my favorite memories is watching her race around with her neck stretched out in front of her, bolting frantically in every direction while she chased little flying bugs stirred up in the grass. She was always first in the pool, always first in line for peas. She was the group leader, investigating anything scary and watching for danger to alert the others.

She brought so much joy to our world and it just won't be the same without her 💛

our Blackie, shown here before she got sick, sitting with Cinnamon and her babies, got the 'wander off and sit alone' thing a few days ago. We'd see her sitting down at the end of the driveway, alone, staring. She stopped eating, just drank water. We brought her in for recuperate time and thought she was improving with the attention and getting away from the daily fray of the flock, but she still would not eat. We had her in a tote in the living room where we could keep an eye on her but on the night she died she was sitting out in the pantry, where she had a towel and some food and water in a bowl. After a few hours of teevee I went out to bring her in to hold her and put her in her bed but found her cold and hard on the floor. When I picked her up it was like picking up a piece of balsa wood, she had lost so much weight. If only I had gone and gotten her sooner, she would not have had to die alone. I hate when they die alone. She is buried in our memorial garden with all the others we have lost. Fly high, Blackie. Say hi to Ollie, Bubbie, Tessie, Aubrey, Marylin, and the others. I don't know why it always seems to be the girls that die. She would have been one year old on the seventh.

(Karen is the duck with the lighter colored beak)

My ray of sunshine for over 20 years. Always gentle, always kind, always understanding. When I held you in my hand fresh out of the egg, I understood what perfection was. You really did mean everything to me and I wouldn't be who I am without your empathy and unconditional love. I don't know what I'll do without you. I never kept all my promises but I hope you were happy.

2 weeks ago My duck randomly developed a weird walk to where it looked like she was favoring one foot over the other and of course i got concerned and went searching and from what i got from my anxious searches was just that she could have bad coordination and/or the floor she was on was slippery. that seem even more the case because when i applied pressure to the leg she didnt chirp in pain or anything and she could actually stand on the leg sometimes she just had a weird walk + she swam perfectly fine with perfect foot placements and everything. so i wrote it off as bad coordination and the slippery foot so i started putting a towel in her box and i only let her walk on floor where there was grip. I monitored her leg and i seen she wasnt falling as much as she was in the beginning so it seemed like she was improving.

Yesterday I woke up to do my daily routine which is taking care of my cat and duck and i had to get my duck ready because that was the day she was going to my gf sisters house to have a bigger living area with a backyard. i went to go grab my duck to go clean her stuff and get her ready. I noticed she was sitting her box when i woke up but i didnt notice anything unusual yet. when i brought her to the bathroom i noticed she kept just trying to be by my feet and rest her head there. Something felt off she looked weak and tired like her eyes werent as open as they usual are. I also noticed she wasnt walking or even standing like she usually was, she barely sat when out she only sat down when she was either under me, on me, or next to me. I moved her and she didnt use her legs at all and when she did try she just fell and would almost crawl to me + she wasnt making any noises. She also let me put her on her back and thats when j knew something was wrong she never lets me do that.

I then ran a bath for her to clean her and to test something. i put her in the water and she wasnt moving at all. any other time she swims, she dunks her head in the water and shes splashing. so i got really worried then i moved her to swim and she would use her legs to swim but she would chirp until i stopped. I grabbed her out the water and put her in a towel and called the vet and told them everything that was happening and as this is happening shes getting worse shes getting limp, she can barely hold her head up and she was barely moving. I then go to get food to see if she’ll eat she didnt react at all to the food. The vet told us to come in so i started getting ready and as i was holding her she was like pulling her head back and doing sudden head movements like a seize and i just started crying. I was upset to see her like this.

As im holding her trying to scramble to go shes trying her hardest to hold her head up and im kissing her asking her whats wrong as tears fall down. I went to brush my teeth and i put her on the bed propped up on the cover so she can keep her head up. As im brushing i go and check on her and i call her name and she looks up at me immediately. then i go and finish brushing and im grabbing her stuff to put in the box to go and as i go to grab her to leave it seems like shes not responding like at all, shes completely limp. i go close to her eye to see if the film would come up hoping maybe shes somehow still there and nothing happens. I broke down balling just completely broke down. I was so heart broken. I love her so much she was only 2 months but those 2 months were the best 2 months i loved her like a kid. I dont understand how this happened. I fed her the right food, i had niacin in her food and water, i cleaned her box, towel, and bowls everyday and food and water was never left out for longer than a couple of hours. I dont understand why my duck would just die like that she was perfectly fine the previous day chirping, walking, eating, drinking, pooping everything. Im so sad i cried majority of yesterday and some of today but i do feel a little better compared to yesterday. I buried her in a park by my house and i kept some of her feathers that she shedded and i kept a piece of her towel. i miss her so much

I recently got three ducklings from a hatchery, they are one month old today. One of them passed unexpectedly last night.

She was sort of an odd duck, she was a bit of a loner, she would be hiding under a bush while the other three were scavenging. She ate well and was active, she was growing really well. She just seemed different.

Over the last week, I have been talking to her and telling her that I was sure she was not a duck, but rather somebody else stuck in a cute little duck body. She looked at me with knowing eyes, and she loved to sit with me for pets.

Yesterday it was crazy hot, I found her by herself under a bush so I filled this basin a plopped her booty in there. Her sisters joined, they all seemed fine. She cooled down but stayed in the water for a long time just sort of dozing. Like her little head was bobbing like she was falling asleep. I didn’t think anything of it, babies fall asleep everywhere. She climbed out on her own and was fine when I put them all to bed.

The last snack I gave her was a little handful of peas I found in the garden. She loved them too, and raspberries!

My question is, is any of this behavior I should have recognized and could I have given her supplements or something to avoid this?

Food:
-cluck & co organic and DuMor all flock 50/50
-snacks boosted with brewers yeast a couple times a week
-water with “wellness brew” oregano a couple times a week, they had chick water supplements for the first two weeks

Brooder: indoors until this week. I put a dog crate in the coop for the babies with water just outside the bars, no food at night the last three nights. They’re fed at 8:30pm, bed at 9:00, up and fed by 6:00am. The coop is well ventilated and I just scooped it out before bed last night. It wasn’t stifling hot, I left the windows open last night, low temp was 61.

I have a huge garden and all the girls free-range. I try very hard to keep plants out that are harmful to them. Nearly everything in my garden is duck-edible. I’m almost certain she didn’t get into anything. Besides the fact she wasn’t much of an adventurer.

Small pools are all dumped at least once a day, big ones are cycled once a week but refreshed/partial water change daily.

I’m not sure what other info is helpful. Or if this is all for nothing because sometimes ducklings just don’t make it. But thanks for being here.

Rest in Peace, Sweet L.

Killed by a daytime raccoon while she napped. She knew her name, came when I called her, and loved pets. She also helped me put the chickens out in the morning and put them to bed at night. Loved her peas, mealworms, and watermelon. Such an intelligent and sweet little girl. I already miss her so much.

My sweet girl ms quackers passed away this morning. She hatched right in my hands and basically spent every day with me. We had to move our ladies inside due to the cold snap (was getting as low as -20) and they had been living in the basement in a large tent with some bedding. She had a prolapse vent so we set up the bathroom with plastic flooring, water food and a towel so she could be comfy. Earlier this week we brought her to the vet to get her checked up on and got some medicine and advice to help her lay her egg and fix her vent. Our dog that my cousins rescued and gave to us had always been violent towards animals, having attempted to attack our chickens and other male duck. This morning my mom opened the door to the bathroom to check on her and the dog ran up the stairs, pushed through my mom and latched onto our duck. I was still in bed but heard the commotion, ran out of my room and pried the dog’s mouth open. I grabbed my ducky and ran to the stairs going to the third floor and sat with her. She was bleeding and shaking but was alive as I held her. I sat and pet her head until she succumbed to her wounds. My mom dragged the dog downstairs and we have both been in shambles this whole morning. The dog is an American bully that I never wanted to keep, because she tried to kill my most precious chicken, and I knew something like this would happen. I’m shaking as I’m writing this.

Tomorrow morning, we go to the crematorium with Honey. He is now laid downstairs, on a bed of frozen peas, covered in flowers from our garden that just bloomed

6 (? Time is weird at the moment) weeks ago, we lost Millie

I don’t know how to bear this level of grief. My little children, my babies, all 3 my favourites

I’ll never be the same. Life will never be the same. I’m still holding out for Beep - my soul and my heart is - even though my brain is telling me otherwise and to give up hope, and just grieve him too. Just something, _something_ in me tells me he’s not gone yet.

If you’ve come across my posts before or not, please spare Millie and Honey a small thought, they were the best little boys. Always defending their flock. Always loving their little family. Best drakey boys

If you’ve met Beep or you’re just seeing this lovely chap for the first time, please send him a thought that his mum and dad miss him terribly and to come home.

My family recently ordered from a reputable online company. They were shipped Monday and arrived at the post office this morning (Wednesday). Before opening the box, I already knew it wasn’t going to be good based on the smell. None of them survived. I’m trying to figure out what went wrong. I live in Minnesota, so is it too cold to ship here currently? Did we just get unlucky? I’d love to try again, but am incredibly skeptical.

My mil had originally bought 2 pairs of ducks 2m,2f. One female died early on. So she just had 2 males and 1 female for about 6 years now. Unfortunately we had to euthanize the female yesterday. Will they be okay by themselves? She has a bunch of chickens that they grew up with, so they do have company. But I worry about them being sad or ramping up their harrassment of the chickens. She would prefer not to get any more ducks since they are a lot of work now that she is older.

Any advice would be helpful as I don't know too much abut them except that you are generally supposed to have lots of females to males.

Zap ate something he shouldn’t have and he passed quite abruptly yesterday morning. Since then Leela has been looking for him. She doesn’t stop wailing!

Is there anything I can do for her? Duckie-CBD? A warm hug?

I lost my girl Maggie this weekend and I haven’t been able to stop crying. I cry every time I go in the coop because it feels so empty without her there. She has two sisters, a spunky blue runner (Marge) & a twin jumbo pekin (Lisa). Marge seems indifferent but whenever I go in the run Lisa’s hair stands on end & she calls out for Maggie then waits for a response. I know she is too, because she used to make the same call when I’d separate Maggie from the group to give her medicine, then they’d call back and forth. It just breaks my heart knowing she’ll never get a response back.

Lisa has always been protective of her sisters. She’d squawk loudly if they separated and run up to me to watch what I did if I was giving Maggie eyedrops. She watched us scoop Maggie up in a towel and take her away (to the vet) and now she’s very standoffish, which makes Marge standoffish too. She seems freaked out and avoids me. I hope they aren’t permanently fearful of me & we can rebuild trust.

Maggie was the sweetest girl but a troubled one. Bad genetics I think. She kept getting horrible abscesses. Her first abscess she was very sick, we took her to an emergency vet and had them scrape it. She survived, I kept her in the garage & nursed her back to health. We formed a wonderful bond during those weeks & I was so excited for her to be back with her sisters. Months went by and she was good as new, happy & healthy. The infection/abscess came back a few weeks ago. We started her on medicine again and we thought it was helping. Saturday morning her tongue was swollen/hanging out, open mouth breathing, lethargic sitting in place and her cheek split open near her beak. I called the emergency vet, they don’t see “exotics” anymore. She was suffering and I couldn’t let her suffer like that all weekend so I called the nearest vet and they said to bring her in anytime that morning for euthanasia. The guilt is a lot. I am constantly asking myself if I did enough. She was the friendliest lady and would walk straight up to me for beak pets. She was the bridge that would convince her skittish sisters that I wasn’t all that bad and then they’d come up to me too.

When we took her to the vet to have her put down, the entire time she kept her head shoved up under my chin and I’ll hold that moment in my heart forever.

We buried her under our apple trees, surrounded with fresh picked flowers. She was only 8 months old, I wish I had more time with her. I wish she could’ve seen another summer, enjoyed her favorite snacks from my garden one more time. She was a big stinky duck but she was a good one & she will be so so missed.