Goose and duck killed chicken

[erinszoo]

Our male duck with the help of our goose killed one of our chickens by drowning it. We keep them separated but one of the chickens got out of it's yard. We've since added higher fencing to the yard but I was wondering if we should be concerned that it might happen again without close monitoring? Anyone have experience with this?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Our male duck with the help of our goose killed one of our chickens by drowning it. We keep them separated but one of the chickens got out of it's yard. We've since added higher fencing to the yard but I was wondering if we should be concerned that it might happen again without close monitoring? Anyone have experience with this?

Did you see it happen? if not maybe the chicken jumped or flew into the water an drowned. I'm not saying it can't happen just wondering if you saw it happen.

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

I've never heard of an animal drowning another animal . . . that's an incredible thought . . .

But I do have to say that my goose almost killed my buff laced polish roo. He would have just kept pecking him until he died. He was lying on the ground in a pitiful little heap when my BF saw it out the window, thank god. The goose was still going at him.

So I don't know . . . the act of drowning requires a shocking level of premeditation for a bird, but who knows?

I'm very curious how you came to that conclusion . . . ?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've never heard of an animal drowning another animal . . . that's an incredible thought . . .

But I do have to say that my goose almost killed my buff laced polish roo. He would have just kept pecking him until he died. He was lying on the ground in a pitiful little heap when my BF saw it out the window, thank god. The goose was still going at him.

So I don't know . . . the act of drowning requires a shocking level of premeditation for a bird, but who knows?

I'm very curious how you came to that conclusion . . . ?

My gander and my lil bantam frizzle almost came to blows this past summer over my frizzles chicks which my gander wasn't messing with but she thought he was, if I hadn't have been there he would have probably attacked her and killed her, but unless he actually picked her up and carried her to the bucket, thats how come I am having a hard time visualizing this.

 

[KrisRose]

They could have grab the chicken and hauled them into the water to mate.
I am keeping a close eye on a young gander that is trying to bond with one of my turkeys.

 

[poultry09]

the chicken could have been on the edge of the pool and the goose and duck did not like it and where biting and pecking the chicken and it might of panicked and fallen in

if one of my chickens stands on the edge of the pond and the goose is in the pond the goose will grab it by the feathers and bite it and they might of accidentally pulled it into the pond?

sorry for your loss

 

[sourland]

They could have grab the chicken and hauled them into the water to mate.
I am keeping a close eye on a young gander that is trying to bond with one of my turkeys.

This sounds like a very logical possibility. You don't mention whether or not you have female geese and ducks. This sounds like mating behavior run amuck. They did not drown your hen with 'premeditation' it was most likely incidental to attempted mating. Giving the opportunity, it could readily happen again.

 

[erinszoo]

We have seen the duck and goose grab a chicken when it was drinking from their pond (which is really a big rubbermaid tank about 2 1/2 feet by 4 feet). We have also seen the duck try to mate with chickens by grabbing them by the neck. We found the chicken dead in the pond with blood on it's head, beak, and neck. They might have actually broken it's neck rather than drowned it but (being a little squeamish) I didn't check it that close when I pulled it out of the water. We do have a goose and gander who have been playing at mating but don't think they've really done anything yet. Our poor little drake is in line to get some females this spring, but he doesn't have any yet. The goose and gander get upset even when the chickens lay eggs and make noise. They don't like the chickens drinking from their water or eating from their food dish (or the greenhouse, hehe) and run them off by biting at them or grabbing them by the neck feathers. Usually the chickens avoid the geese and do their own thing.

We haven't had any problems with it since we added another two feet of netting to the top of the chicken yard enclosure. As long as the chickens can't start flying higher than the 8 foot fence, we're good I think. Never know with animals about though ...

 

[Miss Lydia]

We have seen the duck and goose grab a chicken when it was drinking from their pond (which is really a big rubbermaid tank about 2 1/2 feet by 4 feet). We have also seen the duck try to mate with chickens by grabbing them by the neck. We found the chicken dead in the pond with blood on it's head, beak, and neck. They might have actually broken it's neck rather than drowned it but (being a little squeamish) I didn't check it that close when I pulled it out of the water. We do have a goose and gander who have been playing at mating but don't think they've really done anything yet. Our poor little drake is in line to get some females this spring, but he doesn't have any yet. The goose and gander get upset even when the chickens lay eggs and make noise. They don't like the chickens drinking from their water or eating from their food dish (or the greenhouse, hehe) and run them off by biting at them or grabbing them by the neck feathers. Usually the chickens avoid the geese and do their own thing.

We haven't had any problems with it since we added another two feet of netting to the top of the chicken yard enclosure. As long as the chickens can't start flying higher than the 8 foot fence, we're good I think. Never know with animals about though ...

It's sad when things like that happen but sometimes it's just not in our control but making the fence higher hopefully will keep it from happening again. Now My lil bantam /game rooster and my gander have looked like they were going to go at it. So far my gander is afraid of the rooster.

 

[RHRanch]

This week I separated my geese after some of my ganders grabbed my Polish rooster mid-neck and dragged him about 15 feet and then attempted to breed him. This Roo is a tough guy, but no match for the love-crazed ganders. I stopped them before they could kill him (and they were so violent, I think they could have) and they are in a breeding pen away from the chickens. During the breeding season, geese get crazy, so best they are separated.