Free-Range Duck Problems

[farmer07]

I have 6 moscovy ducks, 2 turkeys, and 2 geese free-range on my acreage. Somehow they have decided that my patio and front side-walk is their casual sitting area. I dont feed them there and there is no source of water there, just a whole lotta duck crap! :z

I love my ducks but I dont want my sidewalk and patio full of bird poop all the time either.
Does anybody have any suggestions for getting them to sit elsewhere?

 

[Amiga]

You may need some kind of exclusion fencing around that area. They may be trying to locate themselves where they feel more safe. My ducks can get nervous when there are hawks around, and much prefer to be in the safety of their Day Pen when I am not outside with them.

 

[farmer07]

what kind of fencing does it take to deter a duck? << pry a stupid question >> lol

 

[Amiga]

No, not a stupid question. How's this for a maddening answer: it depends.

Muscovies fly, so there's a wrinkle. But if their wings are properly clipped, the wrinkle may go away, until someone forgets to keep up with the clipping.....

I have some areas around my place fenced off some parts of the year so that when ducks and I are taking our walks together (my favorite part of the day), they don't wander in and munch all the lettuce, for example. I use three-foot high fence for my runners and buffs. The buffs can jump the fence if they wish, but they rarely want to.

And by jump, I mean wing-assisted jumping. A few flaps and they're over. But hardly ever. Four feet keeps them in.

 

[farmer07]

I didnt clip their wings b/c I think its cool when they fly! Somehow I think its neater than heck when they're perched ontop the highline wire (or not so cool when their perched ontop the house! lol! the area they are sitting is a high-traffic area being the main entrance to the house. that's what makes putting a fence in kinda difficult, cuz I'd have to build a fence where we are always walking.

 

[Going Quackers]

I suppose you could try fencing the area off for a bit, temporarily to see if that deters them. Mine will on occasion come up to the driveway and then rarely but does happen sit by the front door or the back deck, i just shoo them off, generally they like to forage around the fields instead or loaf about in front of their mini barn.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mine love to congregate around my back door and patio when I let them in. I only do it when I can take the hose and wash everything off. other wise they have their own piece of property where they can poop to their hearts content.

 

[farmer07]

I suppose you could try fencing the area off for a bit, temporarily to see if that deters them. Mine will on occasion come up to the driveway and then rarely but does happen sit by the front door or the back deck, i just shoo them off, generally they like to forage around the fields instead or loaf about in front of their mini barn.

We have cattle here as well, so they have corn silage, dry grains, corn fields surrounding the property, straw, corn stalks and a barn, chicken house, hog house, and cattle shed. There's plenty to give them incentive to be anywhere other than on my door-step. . . today they have been flying from the corn silage bunks to the house, back to the silage, back to the house . . . Stinkers. Oh, and they have half the side-walk so crapped full they dont even like to sit there anymore. So now they are migrating over to the area we walk on daily. With the forecast of 10" of snow and temps < freezing I aint gonna be washing it off anytime soon LoL!

I'm gonna see if I can take a pic . . . somebody should be able to find some comedy in it!

 

[SiTran]

Welcome to duck keeping! Your problem very common....

 

[farmer07]

Here's the patio, and half the birds -- the other half must be visiting the silage bunks This is where they call home.