Ducks and a pond with a snapping turtle?!

[amikk97]

I recently got 6 Indian runner ducks. I have been letting them swim in the bathtub and they absolutely love the water. however, when they get older, i want to take them out to a pond that is behind my house. it is a small pond about 3/4 of an acre, but has at least one big snapping turtle in it. i fish the pond regularly in the summer and can see his big shell moving through the water all the time. will he hurt my ducks? i have a kayak too and was thinking i could go out with them and paddle around with them. there is also a beaver ive seen swimming around in there too. i don't think he'll be a problem, but the snapper?

 

[sourland]

Snapping turtles readily kill and eat ducklings. They may also attack larger ducks.

 

[microchick]

I would definitely make him go away.

Our pond has snappers in it along with soft shell and red ear turtles. I have set out over night lines in the form of a good stout hook and fishing line tied to a milk jug and baited with chicken liver and pulled out snapping turtles the next day. Maybe that would work for you.

FYI You can eat snapping turtle meat. Hard to process but worth the effort. It's delicious.

 

[buff goose guy]

its best to get rid of snapping tutrles i recommend catching him in a net and either run over him or shoot him where the head it sad and terrible i know but those are the best way to kill snapping turtles and some of the fastest ways too

 

[buff goose guy]

also to be safe i wouldnt let ducklings into a pond until there adult feathers are in just to be safe so they dont get water logged.

 

[seashoreduck]

Sometimes fish and game will help with snapping turtle problems, even on people's property as they are dangerous and can injure children. Same they would do with a fox or other biting type creature.

 

[donkeydew2farms]

I observed wild ducks on a lagoons that I care for. during the day they are on land and if they go in the water they never stop. the female started out with 6 babies and ended up with 3. I think there mothers teach them. good luck.

 

[Free Feather]

Our neighbor has a little pond, about half an acre, with all different kinds of fish in it. He has tried twice to have ducks, but there is a MASSIVE snapping turtle in it. Ate all of the Rouens, then all six Pekins when he tried to have ducks again. They were full grown ducks, too. And it was the snapping turtle, he saw it. I know a few people around here who have had whole ducks eaten. Yours might be fine, some people have snappers in their pond that do not kill the ducks. I would leave the turtle be, though.

 

[bmmkh]

We also have a neighbor with a pond and it has snapping turtles in it. Last year we set the milk jugs with bait to catch the turtles out because
he has lost his goslings to the turtles and he has adult geese that are missing feet from the turtles. If at all possible you want to get rid of the
turtles before you let your ducks out on the pond.

 

[Shroppy]

VIDEO - TURTLE DROWNS DUCK! PLEASE keep your ducks away from the pond until you trap and kill any snappers. Three days ago we had our 23 ducks using our acre of pond. I was cooking and heard the Guinea Fowl and a Red-Winged Blackbird alarming like crazy so ran out. Hubby was working down by the pond, burning debris in the firepit so never heard anything. I counted the ducks and there were only 22. The Khakis ALWAYS swim in a group so I scanned the pond and found the victim. Not a mark on her. Not even a loose feather. She was still warm so this had JUST happened. She was only a year old.

We autopsied her and every organ was perfect. There was not even a bruise on her. The lungs, however, were pale and oedematous from waterlogging so she HAD drowned. My immediate suspicion was a turtle. We had a big one here two years ago, before we had the ducks.

In this video, the turtle grabs the duck by the beak and pulls her head underwater.. later, after she is dead, he starts to eat her. The fact that I spotted her just after she drowned.. and the turtle probably spotted ME meant that we were able to ascertain probable cause of death rather than find we had a duck -or two- missing by day's end.

What really gets me is that DNR will tell you that snappers are not a threat to domestic stock except for duckings and goslings.. WRONG!

Right now, we have a turtle trap set with the duck's entrails and we will kill any turtle we catch and then reset the trap for the season.

All the ducks and chickens are kept securely housed overnight, and we are always on the watch for daytime predators. No losses in almost two years, but this caught us totally unaware.

VIDEO ON FLICKR - https://www.flickr.com/photos/swamper/3808544213/in/set-72157621878926387