GP livestock guard eating duck eggs...

[ChicksinFL]

We have three free range ducks, we know the two female ducks are laying as we've caught them both laying from time to time. No predators are getting into my yard any longer as our GP won't let anything near her animals. However we have witnessed the GP taking the duck eggs after they are laid.

Any suggestions on ways to fix this problem? I was thinking we could get some store bought eggs rub hot sauce all over them and put them where the ducks like to lay under the bench in the barn. Or I could just not bother doing anything at all I don't want a ton of ducks and we've managed to get two that are in the incubator now(my girls just wanted one or two ducklings). The GP does listen if told NO and it seems to stick with her as to what she can and can't do but then I'd have to sit outside hoping to catch a duck lay and her snatch the egg so I could tell her NO.

This is really the only bad habit my GP has she has been an amazing addition to our mini farm and this is really minor in the grand scheme of things.

 

[CluckyJay]

You can try that yeah. Or fill some of the eggs with hot sauce and seal the hole with tape or wax. Or get a shock collar and watch her. Whenever she goes to eat and egg, shock the crap outta her. Don't let her see you though! Dogs can easily get collar wise.

One way to prevent this, after you remove the shock collar is to use a weighted collar, some use those D batteries taped to the collar. The dog thinks its still wearing the shock collar. Sometimes you don't even have to do that.

 

[ChicksinFL]

Thank you.. I didn't think about blowing an egg out and filling it with hot sauce that might work better then rubbing it on the outside.

I think I may try this and see how it goes, I know my daughters do want to hatch out turkey chicks once the turkeys start to lay so I have to get the GP to not eat eggs before then.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

They will smell the pepper before they eat it.
You can't fool their nose

 

[zazouse]

I put pallets around the nest that have gaps big enough for the birds to get in but small enough that my dogs can't get threw to the nest.
My dogs do not raid the nest boxes but they will take eggs from a nest that are hidden elsewhere if they find them.

 

[GreatPyrLover]

Zazouse....your dogs are beautiful!!!!!!

 

[ChicksinFL]

The more I think about it the more I realize we may just have to make some sort of duck/turkey house for them to lay in. I don't think our GP will take eggs out of a nest box I think she does it now because they are just in the open but under a bench.

Thanks all..

 

[hippiehen]

The more I think about it the more I realize we may just have to make some sort of duck/turkey house for them to lay in. I don't think our GP will take eggs out of a nest box I think she does it now because they are just in the open but under a bench.

Thanks all..

I commented one day on how beautiful and shiny Chewie, my pyr mix, was looking and not an hour later I caught her with her head in the nest box helping herself to a little mid afternoon snack! Little sneak!

 

[ChicksinFL]

I commented one day on how beautiful and shiny Chewie, my pyr mix, was looking and not an hour later I caught her with her head in the nest box helping herself to a little mid afternoon snack! Little sneak!

I probably gave her the taste for eggs myself as we do add an egg to her dog food once a day. I never thought that she would want to eat whole eggs though, never had a dog before that would do that. Then again I never had a GP before and she does all kinds of things I've never seen before. We had a chicken die a few weeks back and my husband laid the body down on the ground next to our shed while he got a shovel he turned around and the chicken was gone. He looked all around then saw Penelope with the chicken in the back corner of the pasture she had dropped it and was digging a hole. He watched her bury the dead chicken and then go back to her goats.