How to catch a duck

[quirkybeeper]

I haven't been on in a while, but the duckling I hatched in December is outside now with my other 2 ducks! The problem: he turned out to be a drake. So now I have a duck and 2 drakes. I have them separated for now, but that can't be a permanent solution. I posted a thing on Craigslist saying that I need a female Pekin, and I got a response.

The lady said she has a Pekin who is about a year old living on the lake by her house. She had a drake also, they were partners or whatever, and the drake was killed recently by a predator, so she wants to find a new, safe home for the duck, before something happens to her too. I had a pair once that one of them died, and the other pretty much gave up after that and died also, so I really want to give this sweet girl a home in my (tiny) flock.

The only catch is, well, the catching. The lady said several other people have shown interest but they haven't been able to catch her. She swims out onto the lake to get away. So I need some ideas if anyone has some suggestions! The lady suggested one of those big fishing nets that you cast out over the water, but I'm concerned she could get hurt. She also suggested "presenting" another duck to her in a crate or something, and hope that would attract her. That is doable, I just don't know if it would work. We also have some wire fencing left over from the current pen, I was thinking if we could hold it and someone herd her in and close the fence around her...I don't know.

Any suggestions?

 

[Amiga]

I got the following idea from Majestic Waterfowl.

You will need

a few helpers - four or five would be ideal.

a kayak or raft
or
chest waders - depends on how deep the pond is.

a couple more pairs of hip waders

50 feet of plastic poultry fence - 4 ft height

A few temporary fence posts

A dog crate

Some 4 foot long sticks

Some treats - like fresh peas - in the crate

Loads of patience
…..

Best time is late morning

Locate the duck

Person on kayak or raft has a couple of long sticks, goes into water a ways away from the duck, gets behind the duck - if the duck is on land, when the duck runs for the water, they will see the person on the water and probably hesitate, not go out so far. Person on the water can hold the sticks wide to "herd" the duck

People on land place the crate several feet from the water's edge, with a few treats in the crate, and some leading from the water to the crate

The fencing is unrolled in a C or U shape around the crate and then one person at each end of the fence goes toward the water and actually might need to go in a few feet.

The kayak person moves toward the duck, herding it toward shore, into the temporary fence.

As the duck passes the people with the ends of the fence, they slowly begin to walk toward each other, closing the fence.

If you are really lucky, the duck may eat the treats and even go into the crate on its own but do not count on it.

Just keep taking in the fence, directing the duck toward the crate.

Make no sudden moves that might startle the duck and cause it to try to fly.

I hope I described this well enough.

Here is something similar

 

[laughingdog]

First try taking your ducks over in a smaller wire crate in a bigger wire crate that's rigged with fishing line to close once its in eating and chatting with others. or rig cage with fishing line on piece of bread and have magnet on door to lock once string pulls it to other magnet on frame.
or Locate someone with a collie and have the dog herd the duck to you or into the crate. fast simple stress free. My neighbors would have me do all time with my collie rouning up rabbits cats chickens goats and even other dogs. one collie can and faster do job of five to ten men herding. good luck!

 

[jandavis]

Suggest you find a farm that has grown ducks for sale. Observe which ones make a loud quack. These will be females. Most males have a curl of three feathers sticking up from their tail. These are already in an enclosure of some kind. Keep them in a large pen with a wooden floor over the dirt so predators won't dig underneath. After a while the female on the pond will come to visit them and after you release your ducks they will all hang out together. They will go to the pond eventually, when they see her go there. You are going to lose some to predators and some to the road, but unfortunately, that's the way of life. You just keep replacing them, so that they'll have a good life for as long as they can. Otherwise they end up on some restaurant's menu or someone's dinner plate. Most of them will last several years and will love being able to wander freely and swim on a pond.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I haven't been on in a while, but the duckling I hatched in December is outside now with my other 2 ducks! The problem: he turned out to be a drake. So now I have a duck and 2 drakes. I have them separated for now, but that can't be a permanent solution. I posted a thing on Craigslist saying that I need a female Pekin, and I got a response.

The lady said she has a Pekin who is about a year old living on the lake by her house. She had a drake also, they were partners or whatever, and the drake was killed recently by a predator, so she wants to find a new, safe home for the duck, before something happens to her too. I had a pair once that one of them died, and the other pretty much gave up after that and died also, so I really want to give this sweet girl a home in my (tiny) flock.

The only catch is, well, the catching. The lady said several other people have shown interest but they haven't been able to catch her. She swims out onto the lake to get away. So I need some ideas if anyone has some suggestions! The lady suggested one of those big fishing nets that you cast out over the water, but I'm concerned she could get hurt. She also suggested "presenting" another duck to her in a crate or something, and hope that would attract her. That is doable, I just don't know if it would work. We also have some wire fencing left over from the current pen, I was thinking if we could hold it and someone herd her in and close the fence around her...I don't know.

Any suggestions?

I will say it worked to catch an abandoned rooster. I took a hen over inside a crate set up a dog X pen around her with it open on the end. Boy that rooster walked right in I walked in behind him and closed up the fence picked him up put him into another crate and brought him home. Can't say it will work that easy for you but worth a try.

 

[quirkybeeper]

I will say it worked to catch an abandoned rooster. I took a hen over inside a crate set up a dog X pen around her with it open on the end. Boy that rooster walked right in I walked in behind him and closed up the fence picked him up put him into another crate and brought him home. Can't say it will work that easy for you but worth a try. 

if this has a chance of working, do you think it would be better to take Daisy or one of the boys?

 

[Miss Lydia]

if this has a chance of working, do you think it would be better to take Daisy or one of the boys?

I'd say one of your drakes and the one who talks the most to draw attention. might take a while but scope out the landscape and put up your fence or X pen what ever your using so you have this probably one time chance to get her and it works first time. I put my hen in her crate at far end of pen so the rooster had to walk all the way inside so then i just came up behind and close up the opening. It was perfect actually, i was amazed how well it went. Hope you get her

 

[Sfraker]

If it was me I would send my black out to get it. She has retrieved live ducks multiple times in the past. She has a soft mouth and has been trained to retrieve. Labs can swim faster than a duck and are pretty good at herding them to shore.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If it was me I would send my black out to get it. She has retrieved live ducks multiple times in the past. She has a soft mouth and has been trained to retrieve. Labs can swim faster than a duck and are pretty good at herding them to shore.

What do we have now Black Lab will Travel for rescues? lol

 

[quirkybeeper]

What do we have now  Black Lab will Travel for rescues?  lol

Too funny! I've been asking around for someone with a trained herding dog, but no luck. It's funny though, my parents have a corgi, but she was never trained to herd, she never needed to lol