Hawk attacks on our ducks

[hpetrilla]

Hello,
In the 3 years we have had ducks, we've had two killed by hawks. Our original, Quackers, saw her sister taken by a hawk. We got another duck named Jelly. She was attacked and killed yesterday in front of Quackers, and my two daughters. It was horrific. We buried Jelly today. I guess my question is why does this keep happening? We live in a development, but two family friends have ducks and this hasn't happened to them. Do we keep replacing the ducks that are getting attacked?? Do we find a new home for our remaining duck? We are devastated and so is Quackers. She's now seen two companions attacked and killed.

 

[LLee34]

Several possibilities as to why your ducks get attacked and the neighbors don't. Hawks like open space, good vantage point from which to plan their attack, and no interference on the ground. Geese are said to be good hawk deterrents (which is why I'm raising geese with my ducklings), also dogs. Of course the dogs have to be trained not to bother the ducks....

Birds of Prey are federally protected so you can't do anything to harm the hawk, but you can make it "unproductive" for him/her to want dinner from your flock. I suggest going to the neighbors and observe their yard (duck yard) to see what is different from your yard. If you have them in an enclosure (or enclosed part of our yard) you can put some things in the enclosure to keep them safer from above. We have a lot of hawks in our area but there is also a lot of overhead cover with trees, bushes, porches, etc. We have never lost a chicken (had over 85 at one time in the past). Neighbor's dog got a few but once we got a pic of the dog, the animal control folks confiscated it.

 

[hytron]

Attacked your husband?? And two more in the tree? Goodness, that is not a good sign. If there is no improvement then I would recommend talking to a wildlife professional about it, as hawks are illegal to kill. I would keep your remaining duck housed until the hawk issue dies down. May I ask what age and breeds your ducks are/were?

Illegal to kill? If I feel my life or parts of my body are in danger by hawks I will kill it or attempt at least. I understand they are federally protected and you are not supppse to kill it, but when you endangered you kill. Yesterday I heard my Ancona ducks quacking very load so I ran out and sure enough there was a hawk in my large tree. A few seconds later a dead squirrel just fell from the tree in front of me. I guess the hawk wasnt after my babies.

 

[CochinLover1]

Smaller birds and light colored birds will always be of more interest to hawks. It also has to do with the time of year. Hawks are more likely to take risks when the weather is colder and when there is less food available. I have had several chicken losses from hawks and I always try to keep cover for my birds. If the hawk thinks that it will get its wings caught into something, it will not take the risk.

 

[its raining hen]

My neighbor has hawk attacks on her chickens, whereas i dont. The only difference in our yards is she has a big tree bordering her fenceline and i dont. I also keep cds up on fishing string through the yard. I heard that scares them away.

Im sorry to hear about your ducks.

 

[Wjpeaches]

I have ducks, chickens, geese, and rabbits. Although they have not been attacked, my neighbor said a young hawk flew down and took a pigeon that was feeding from the duck bowl this morning. Of course I panicked. I moved all food bowls under shrubs and trees so my animals are less visible. I also put faux ivy fencing in areas that were exposed. If you go to Improvements website, they have a product I really like. They sell faux ivy privacy fencing in rolls. Each is 9 feet in length and 6 feet tall. They carry a few styles, and are great. Although they are for covering fences for privacy, they also work great to hide and protect my girls, ganders, and buns. So sad about your duck. I have 2 runners that are 14 years old. Setting up more protection for them in the morning. Hope this helps.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Please don’t put your ducks out on water an think that is the safest place for them. Sounds like so far with your trees and border collie they haven’t been attacked yet. Very sorry this has been happening to y’all and your neighbors hopefully removing the nest will make them relocate next year.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Illegal to kill? If I feel my life or parts of my body are in danger by hawks I will kill it or attempt at least. I understand they are federally protected and you are not supppse to kill it, but when you endangered you kill. Yesterday I heard my Ancona ducks quacking very load so I ran out and sure enough there was a hawk in my large tree. A few seconds later a dead squirrel just fell from the tree in front of me. I guess the hawk wasnt after my babies.

While I admit a nesting pair of hawks attacking everyone would be miserable, a hawk isn’t going to kill you and isn’t likely to cause you serious injury. My mother worked for the World Bird Sanctuary for many years working with birds of prey. She received some bites and scratches during that time, which were painful, but far from life threatening. I understand that seeing a predator near by is frightening, but there are other options. My neighbors have two large Martin houses which are filled with Purple Martins. I have seen Cooper hawks, Red-tailed hawks, and Great Horned owls, all chased off by a flock of Martins. A friend who lives down my street keeps a large rooster to protect his poultry. Many others keep livestock dogs or fence their birds. Some on here have suggested shooting bottle rockets in the area when hawks are around. Maybe we could try such things rather than advocating the killing of federally protected species.

 

[hpetrilla]

I don't see how we can make it safer. We have trees along the perimeter of our yard, on the neighbor's property. The first attack was in the summer. The were in an enclosure with no roof. I don't know how the hawk didn't get its wings caught. The hawk attempted to attack my husband when he was removing the dead duck. Within minutes of the kill there were two more hawks in the trees. I just don't know what's best for our remaining duck.

 

[CochinLover1]

Attacked your husband?? And two more in the tree? Goodness, that is not a good sign. If there is no improvement then I would recommend talking to a wildlife professional about it, as hawks are illegal to kill. I would keep your remaining duck housed until the hawk issue dies down. May I ask what age and breeds your ducks are/were?