Bad owner or just bad luck?

[apan]

Hi,

I'm having all kinds of guilt and sorrow because, in the 1.5 years as a duck owner, I've lost 4 ducks on 4 separate occasions.

Our neighbors free range their 5 chickens and have never lost one.

We free-ranged for the first year and lost 3 ducks. The first went missing in the middle of the day, the second was badly injured in the middle of the day (and later died), and the third was killed by an owl right at dusk. I was on my way to coop them up when I saw it happen.

We went to a "limited free-range" method after we almost lost 2 more ducks to a neighbor's dog. Now they have a well-fenced area with plenty of shrubs and trees to hide in and beneath all day, along with a pond and the coop, of course.

We had the males separated in a temporary structure ("male jail" as we call it, during the mating season when they tend to annoy the ladies). It had regular garden fencing all around and mesh over the top, and a box for them to sleep in, although they never did. Now this morning I come to find one of the boys nearly decapitated with his neck chewed up. I can't figure out where the predator got in unless it somehow stretched and slipped through the mesh where we have it fastened to the top of the fence.

My question is this: Is it normal to lose this many ducks? Or am I being negligent? How is it that my neighbor has never lost a hen in the 3 years they have had them, but I have lost so many?

For reference I live in rural Wisconsin.

 

[sannabelle]

What predator deterrents are your neighbors using that you may not have? Dogs? Hot wiring?

What kind of mesh are you using on the male jail? Chicken wire is not reliable- hardware cloth is best.

Sorry about your ducks

 

[Sami64]

You're learning. We've all lost ducks. Let me echo the comment re: chicken wire--fun for country crafts, useless against predators. Racoons can reach through the wire and grab necks, coyotes can dig under or push it over. Look for any opening in the top for owls or hawks to get through. We have built a duck structure with the StarPlate building system. (click to see the page.) Finally, our ducks are secure. We let them free range when we're in the yard otherwise they're in their house.

 

[apan]

The neighbors have nothing over us in terms of deterrents. We have two dogs who certainly leave their scent around the yard, the neighbors have none. Our ducks are confined to an area with lots of shrubs and cover, whereas their chickens roam wherever they want. The only thing different I can see is that they have a farm cat, which is possibly what got the last duck.

Male jail was made of the standard garden fencing used for the rest of the run. I had read raccoons can reach in and grab things, but the dead carcass was all chewed up in the middle of the area, at least 3 feet from any edge. The top material was intact and no signs of digging. So either something squeezed through somewhere or I missed the opening they created somewhere.

Needless to say, I've disassembled that setup and now all the ducks are together in the coop again. One lady is none too happy about the co-ed arrangement and now won't stop quacking. I'll have to write another post about that, though!

 

[gilbert2]

I too, have seen one of my flock nearly decapitated, with her neck skinned down to the bone. It's impossible for me to know who did it, since the choices around here range from coyotes to foxes, raccoons, badgers, and even crows. Yes, crows!! I actually saw a crow just leaving a broken in hole in my enclosure, and leaving a dead duck.
These horrifying events caused me to get serious. I am now building a good, sturdy enclosure, and it will have 1/2" wire cloth between the wooden beams.
If you love your ducks the way I know you do, I hope you will embrace the sad fact that you NEED an enclosure that will fend off small to large mammals.......and more.

 

[ChuckieJoe]

8:00 AM and my 26 chicks and 16 ducklings were just fine.

11:00 AM, and 10 chicks and 5 ducklings were gone. The other 16 chicks, and 10 of the ducklings, were dead, scattered about their safe house. (The safe house was not complete.)

I suspect that it was 2 or more raccoons that slipped in and did the damage, and carried off the 15, and killed the rest - except for one very lonely little Indian Runner duckling that I named, then and there, Luck. I bought 8 more Runners to keep her happy. She's now a big duck, and happy as can be.

I also bought more chickens. Someone a few miles away lost several of their chickens to a fox, so they decided to rehome the 8 they had left. Three white chickens, 3 red chickens, and 2 black chickens. I'm getting 7 eggs a day from them, and expect to get 8 a day when the last one grows a bit - maybe in a couple of weeks.

I also spotted some Svarthona chicks for sale in a Facebook group. They were pricey, but cool as heck. They were young, and since I kept them away from the older chickens and ducks, they looked a bit lonely. Off to the farm store I went, and bought six Australorps.

Now I have 2 flocks - the older chickens and ducks, and the 8 young black chicks. The safe house for the older birds is almost impenetrable, but it's close to being finished. I just need to close a few gaps in the top. An enterprising raccoon can climb an 8-foot wall, peel back some wire, and then climb down the wall. The chicks still live in a nice little tractor that's secure.

I also trapped and killed 2 very unhealthy foxes, a skunk, and 2 opossums, and I trapped one raccoon that now lives at the other end of the county in a big woods. (The foxes both had mange, fleas, ticks, and who knows what else, and they stunk to high heaven.) I don't like killing any critter, but I had a choice - the birds die or the predators die. There is also a Cooper's Hawk living in the woods. He sits up high and watches them, but so far he hasn't tried any tricks.

I let the older birds run free during the day, and at night they get locked up. It takes a five-foot long tunnel a foot deep to get under the walls. The top is covered with 2x4 welded-wire fencing. The sides are covered with the same fencing on the outside, and chicken wire on the inside. That keeps the birds out of reach so no one looses their head. There is also a drawbridge that must be lowered before the gate can be unlocked and opened. I'm going to cover the outside with an electrified fence, too.

I have a few security cameras, and I keep at least one trap baited and ready at all times. I'm still nervous.