Black swedish ducks and hawks

[Rafnel]

Hey all, I got 3 black swedish ducklings 2 weeks ago. When they are full-grown, I am planning to free range them in my fenced backyard. My backyard is about 3000 square feet and I live in a suburb, although I and my neighbors do back up to farmland. I worry about the threat of hawks and have been doing a ton of reading to figure out what to do.

Curious what you guys think: what is the danger of hawks swooping into a suburban backyard and killing full-grown black swedish ducks? What are some things I can set up so that they can free range in peace? This is the only predator I am concerned with, as they sleep in a locked coop at night. I have seen and heard hawks in the farm field behind me where I assume they are hunting wild prairie dogs and rodents.

Unfortunately since I live in an HOA, I cannot get protective roosters/geese. I have been planting trees that will grow tall but they will take a year or two to have any significant protective ability. My yard is otherwise quite open to the skies aside from their coop/run and some small plants.

Attaching duckling tax :]. Obviously I don't plan on free ranging at this point. They're about 2 weeks old right now and exclusively live in the run under the coop/coop at night. It's hot here so I moved them outside successfully after 5 days and they've been outside ever since (with a heat plate available in the coop at night to sleep under)

 

[Gobekli Pepe]

Get yourself some of this stuff and you wont have a single problem from hawks. Given the size of your yard, I think one strip hanging someplace that it can catch sun and wind all day, and you'd be good to go. I'd do two strips just to be generous. Birds of prey have such sensitive eyes they can't stand it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I wouldn't solely depend on the predator tape I had a small hawk swoop in and kill one of my roosters and I have predator tape hanging around my flock's fenced area. I still do use it though. Other things like teepee made with some plywood for them to hide under it would give them some shade too. @DuckyDonna has made some places for her ducks

 

[Rafnel]

That predator tape is an awesome idea! Thanks for mentioning it, I had heard of hanging CDs but this is a much more reliable solution I can tape along my fence. I will definitely use this, but won't rely on it solely of course. Sounds like I need to apply the "Swiss cheese" model and employ a bunch of tactics.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That predator tape is an awesome idea! Thanks for mentioning it, I had heard of hanging CDs but this is a much more reliable solution I can tape along my fence. I will definitely use this, but won't rely on it solely of course. Sounds like I need to apply the "Swiss cheese" model and employ a bunch of tactics.

Your ducklings are adorable

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have been planting trees that will grow tall but they will take a year or two to have any significant protective ability.

Welcome to BYC!

That's some of the best tax ever paid, cute babies!

Trees provide perfect roosting spots for hawks to sit and watch unsuspecting birds and then swoop in like the ambush predators they are. Though I'm sure there me be some line of sight blockage when they're flying/hovering

Low lying bushes MIGHT be better cover. I also use lawn chairs.

The dog and personal activity HELP.. but hawks MAY even swoop in right next to and in front of you.. they can be quite bold.

I know decoys are illegal for hunting.. but I do have to wonder about adding in a decoy or 2.

 

[Gobekli Pepe]

Redundancy and fail safes can't hurt, and I'm certainly not calling Lydia a liar, but I'm surprised to hear a hawk wasn't put off by the scare tape. I used to have a big redtail problem, lost so many pullets I lost count, and a few hens as well. Even when they weren't going after my birds I saw them all the time, scoping out my property, or just passing by, and I'd hear them even more often. After I hung the scare tape a few years ago they all vanished though, haven't seen or heard a single one since.

Other birds don't seem to like it much either though, so I suppose it could be a bummer if you like to feed songbirds or something. I only feed humming birds, and they don't mind it. Neither do the robins and the swallows. I don't see much else coming around though.

 

[Rafnel]

Glad to hear the scare tape seems pretty effective. I work from home so I'm hoping I can come outside enough to thwart any peering hawks too.

 

[sourland]

Get yourself some of this stuff and you wont have a single problem from hawks. Given the size of your yard, I think one strip hanging someplace that it can catch sun and wind all day, and you'd be good to go. I'd do two strips just to be generous. Birds of prey have such sensitive eyes they can't stand it.View attachment 3205901

Did not stop the Cooper's hawks from killing my pigeons.

 

[Gobekli Pepe]

Well darn. I've heard that you can cover the area your birds will be in with crisscrossing florescent cord to detour them. They want a clear line of descent to swoop down, and it deprives them of that. So I'm told anyway, never tried it. It would be an ordeal to cover my 11 acres like that. I think it would be a far simpler task in 3000sq/ft, but might not be much to look at. Even if you didn't mind, idk how the HOA would feel.