Dang Snake!!!

[KelC0308]

So I came home lastnight to my 5 wk old Harley with a snake wrapped around him ;-( broke my Heart!

So any ideas on how to help with keeping snakes out would be VERY much appreciated!

 

[Onlyducks]

You can try snake repellent, though I'm not sure how effective that is. Do you leave him out in the daytime—he looks pretty small. Maybe a cage with 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Snakes can get through very small openings. Mostly, a physical barrier is needed. As he gets older, he should be able to deal with the snakes.

 

[Onlyducks]

Oh, also, do you have food stored where mice can get to it. People often don't realize the snake is there not for the duck, but for the mice that are eating the stored food.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So I came home lastnight to my 5 wk old Harley with a snake wrapped around him ;-( broke my Heart!
So any ideas on how to help with keeping snakes out would be VERY much appreciated!

I am so sorry, I can understand a snake going after my day old duckling he could swallow it but your 5 week old no way thats sad.

 

[KelC0308]

This was one of the most recent pics of him I had, and that was from about 2 wks ago maybe... I keep their food in the house but there are still field mice everywhere! :-/ I went and got them a crate today so that they have some room to roam around their house now compared to the big dog cage they did have. Cut out some windows and door, got some henges, a couple locks, and some hardware cloth to put over their windows! ... It was just crazy that a snake would go for the bigger of the 5 wk olds. My other guy is an Ancona and isn't near his size... He was almost the size of my 3-4 month old Khakis!

 

[KelC0308]

@Miss Lydia it's was horrible ;-( I've never witnessed anything like it... I'm scared to death of snakes! Had nightmares all night! I don't know if I want my others to go back outside! Lol! I've got em in the bathtubs in the house! *shivers* just the thought of that happening again ;-(

 

[andreacroyle]

This was one of the most recent pics of him I had, and that was from about 2 wks ago maybe... I keep their food in the house but there are still field mice everywhere! :-/ I went and got them a crate today so that they have some room to roam around their house now compared to the big dog cage they did have. Cut out some windows and door, got some henges, a couple locks, and some hardware cloth to put over their windows! ... It was just crazy that a snake would go for the bigger of the 5 wk olds. My other guy is an Ancona and isn't near his size... He was almost the size of my 3-4 month old Khakis!

Were you able to save him? I would keep them inside until you have a predator proof coop to keep them in when your not with them. I am new to ducks and have had two in the bathroom for 3 weeks. Duck poo stinks and it is a constant clean up but until I have my coop built to spec, that is where they are staying. I have found LOTS of great ideas on this site about the proper cages.
Good luck

 

[Onlyducks]

KelC0308: Depending on the size of the snake, it may have been able to swallow the duckling. Snakes can swallow very large prey. Why the snake picked the larger is hard to say—it may be he was closer, or perhaps the duckling was curious about the snake and got too close. There's just no way to figure out this kind of thing unless you're there (which might be even more horrifying).

You've moved them to a more secure location so they should be okay for now. If you can reduce the mice, that will help. When the ducks get full grown, it's less likely a snake will grab one, though it can happen. This is an interesting site that discusses snakes and ducks: http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/08/snake-in-duck-house-6-tips-to-repelling.html

Good luck with keeping away the snakes.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've had ducks 10 yrs and ducklings off an on in that span of time only last year was the first time one went after a duckling they usually are after eggs or mice [rodents] which I am grateful for. We've even had a fair amount of chicks hatch here and never lost one to snakes and we have alot of snakes.

That had to have been horrible.

 

[laughingdog]

Mix muscovy ducks with rest. my little ones would fight over small rodents and small snakes. Six month old male scovy will decimate med sized rat, and large snake populations. Anything to big to swallow whole like mentioned above, they tear apart by stomping and clawing to pieces, beating to mush with wings, or grabbing in bill and beating to death against ground. woodrats seem too fast for them to usually catch but one or two males learning to hang around holes and pluck them up as come out, or try to dig them out. woodrat/s started eating feed and stealing eggs from young unguarded nests at night till let drakes back in that pen, then the ducks ate them.

Mothballs in areas or better containers that ducklings cannot get into, should stop snakes too, as snakes hate the smell. supposedly mothballs help with rodents and bugs, but squirrels steal as do mice, bothseen eating at and had in nests found. Seen spiders build webs connecting to, and pill bugs crawling on.

you could get bedding or shed skin from pet king snakes, as always kept rodents, songbirds, and copperheads out of my berries.