Expert: Roger Lederer - 1/21/2009

Question
My two Chinese geese and 16 ducks (mallards and khaki campbells) have been living across the street for the last four months due to their pond. I have been unable to get them back home, and not sure if it was due to the massive amount of snow. They were sitting together Friday afternoon and something cause they all to flee and I'm not finding most of them. I find one Chinese goose down the road in a neighbor's yard, another 1/2 mile away, dead from a dog attack, and one mallard dead on the side of the road due to being hit. I can find no sign of the others. Do they hide? My only remaining duck/goose has never been alone and was raised by the female chinese goose. Any helpful ideas would be appreciated. I live in a rural area and know we have coyotes, but something made them all run. In the past, it has been the dog next door, which has played with (killed) three in the past. Please help, as these are our pets.

Answer
Weel, I'm not sure what to say because your explanation is sort of scattered. Are you saying their pond is frozen?  If so, their habitat is gone and so they are confused and are at the mercy of any predators that might come along. This is a very artificial situation and my expertise, as you might know, is wild birds, so I really don't knwo what to tell you.