RIP Bill the Duck

A couple months ago Bill the duck stopped walking. First he would walk and sit, walk and sit. Then he sort of flapped and flew from place to place. Then he dragged his body along flapping his wings. We checked him over and saw nothing wrong with his visible legs. He was losing weight and couldn't float without turning over in the water. I was terrified I would come out to a drowned duck in the water.

We placed him in a box in a shelter on the back deck for a week and a half. He didn't get any better with rest. So I let him out. Jill, the girl duck, was beside herself. She would hang around and quack at the box all day. So I let him out to live out the rest of his life, or until we could figure out what to do with him.

For about a month he would spend his days under the trees and flap back down- we'd carry him on his bad days- to eat and spend the night by the house. He was hanging on, even though we sort of wished he would give up. I am not the strongest farm-animal person...I am unable to put a bird out of it's misery. We had a similar issue with a chicken- Hopper a couple years ago...

She died of natural causes after about 6 months. And this morning when we went to find Bill to move him to safety before mowing the grass, we found him too. The boys took it well, since it was a long time coming. And I think Jill will be okay too. She's had a couple months to get used to not having him as her shadow and she has made good friends with the chickens....