Minnesota!

[Minniechickmama]

OK-I figure I will type out for you all the play by play so there is no confusions or me misrepresenting the DNR in a bad way.

First attack was August 25. 2 holes tore into one of the duck pens and 7 ducks taken. 2 were eaten here on site only feathers left no carcass 5 missing completely. There were attempts made to get into the other duck house but not successful. Prints galore thanks to the rain. I took pictures using a quarter for size reference. I did not call the DNR.

Attack number 2 happened Sept 7th. 2 roosters were attacked and eaten on site. One in my chicken run. I have no idea how the door to the run got opened but it did. The other rooster was eaten near where the ducks had been eaten. Again, only feather piles no carcasses. I took pictures of the prints in the chicken run. It is sand so they were not as clear. I used a quarter again for size reference.
I called the local DNR office and he asked if I could send him an email with the track pictures. I did send him pictures of both attack sets. He called me a couple hours later telling me he had shown (forwarded the email? I am not sure) the 'wildlife guy' the track pictures and he told the local that it is fox or coyote. The local guy did not sound like he was even convinced and told me I need to prove it is a wolf with concrete evidence. He is the one who told me of the neighbor calves being taken.

Attack number 3 happened the morning of Sept 11th. It was about 5 am and I heard it happening. DH went out there but it was gone. No animal loss that time. Later that morning when I went to do chores there were tracks in the mud. I thought for sure I had some pics on the game cam but there wasn't. I remembered this time to use a ruler and took pictures of the tracks. I called the local and left a message and emailed him the latest track shots. He called me yesterday (he had been gone on vacation). He told me that he showed the latest prints to the wildlife guy or a different one I am not sure but that person said we have a wolf on our hands. The local came to my house yesterday. He took pictures of the damage to the duck house. We talked. He said that he is forwarding the info to the federal person in charge of trapping the wolf. He again shared with us another wolf attack taking cattle just the day before.

Today I came home to a note in my door. The USDA wildlife services guy was here. I called him. He told me he looked all over my property and found no traces of wolf. No poop or tracks. (how many times will a wolf stop to poop during a food raid anyway?) He said he found fox tracks on my septic mound and he found a bobcat trail with fresh poop. That is it. No evidence of any kind of wolf activity. (mind you we had tractors running the last week haying the pasture) I recounted all the attacks and the print sizes to him and he said it could be a dog. There are lots of houses in my area and any ones dog could have done it. Some of the things he said I rebutted with evidence I had seen. But he said if I get any picture on the game camera or any more attacks I should call them ASAP so they can see the evidence first hand. He was kinda not nice but he is straight up telling me crap and I am supposed to swallow it. I wasn't happy but I was polite. He repeatedly said I am dealing with fox and bobcat.

What is my main concern? I do not want to loose any animals obviously. But what scares the crap out of me is that whatever this animal is, it is in my back yard right behind my house. Not out in the pasture somewhere. It is right in my living space literally feet from my bedroom window. It is eating the birds in my yard. I do not want it to come back during the day while we are outside. I don't want my kids to be afraid to walk to the chicken coop or the mailbox. But they are. They are afraid to ride their bikes or go any where near the road. It is sad to see the fear on their faces.

I need a picture on the game camera. I don't think they would believe me if I see it with my eyes and tell them so.
I am not trying to stir up anything!! I just want to let everyone know what I am dealing with. Thank you for all the support. Even if we don't all see things the same way, having each other to talk to and vent to is extremely helpful.
Thank you
Rhetts

I can only imagine the frustration you are going through. I am sorry to hear of the run around you are getting. I hope you get the proof you need to get rid of this menace. I hope you get a clear picture of it too so you can shove it in the face of those idiots who keep giving you crap.

 

[Minniechickmama]

My nephew rescued a couple of ducks after momma was hit by a car in Minneapolis.
The are raising up to release them so they can fly south.
They don't look like any wild duck i have seen.
I am thinking it is a Muscovy cross of some kind. Any one have any clue as to what these are ?

I am trying to convince them that they will not survive on their own.
My aunt mentioned that they may need me to adopt them if they can't as long as I didn't eat them and they find out about it.

I said that sounded yummy to me. Opps sounded fine to me, I would take them.

They look like Swedish crosses. What was the mother, do you know? I would think if they are Muscovie crosses, they would have the caruncles on their faces. However, if they are Muscovie or Muscovie cross, it would be best to put them in a freezer and make them useful. There is a problem in different migratory areas with Muscovies taking over as an invasive species. Even if they are Swedish, removing them from the wild flock would not be a bad thing at all. They probably could survive just fine on their own once they are able to fly. Domestic ducks who can fly OFTEN fly off with wild flocks, and many survive. For instance, Call ducks need to be clipped so they don't fly off in the fall. This cross you have there were likely a result of domestics either released on purpose to the wild or were escapees.
If you want to put duck in the freezer, then I would say, don't hesitate.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Well I weighed Tootsie. He's 8 lbs. He's fine. I can't remember what he weighed this spring when I put him on the scale 9 lbs. and the buckeye was 8? Or 8 lbs and the buckeye hen was 7? That's the thing about getting older. Nonetheless. it's the lack of feathers that has him looking smaller. His thighs were a mass of blood feathers and his fluff has pins all over it. He's going through the worst of it right now. He's a makin' feathers. He was a good sport about the weigh in...but he was ornery when Sadie came to watch. He must be bashful about his weight like his mother.

Nikon those ducks look like a domesticated deal to me. I would plump them up and don't forget to render the fat for cooking American fries. (keeps the taters extra crispy longer) Mmmm. I would not keep them either. Poo and keeping open water is a whole other can of worms.

I expect my birds to be a little down on weight at this time of year when they are molting. It is pulling protein from them to make the feathers. As long as when you feel your birds and they still have good condition, then I would not get too worried about them. The biggest place you can tell on a bird if they are in good condition or in to feel their keel bone(breast bone). I find that is the first place you can feel the loss of muscle on a bird. If you can feel a sharp keel bone, your bird is suffering something very detrimental, and this is something that you may not SEE, but you can feel. This is why it is important to handle your birds. I say that, but with 250 or so birds, that isn't always a practical thing for me, so I have to look for other signs to evaluate, but small flock owners can and should do this.

BC the weight according to SOP for a Buckeye cock is 9, a hen 6.5, cockerel 8, pullet 5.5 NHs cocks 8.5, hens 6.5, cockerel 7.5, pullets 5.5 If yours are close to this, then they are doing fine

 

[Minniechickmama]

Thank you for the advice on the top. I forgot to mention there are fully grown trees in the area I will be putting the run so I'm really more worried about coons and other climbing critters than birds. At what height do you put the electric wire on your run? I hadn't thought of that before. I was just considering using a bunch of 1/4" hardware cloth.

This is a picture of the area my coop and run will be. There is a concrete slab(16'x10') where that deer blind is sitting and the run will be behind it. We thinned out the trees about 4 yrs ago and haven't mowed it at all this year.

If you have climbing/chewing/scratching critters to deal with, USE THE HARDWARE CLOTH. Coon can and will chew right through that plastic stuff and they can chew through chicken wire too. I suggest you look at the hoop run method for them. You can make it long and have it covered with wire (attach from underside of supports (recommend cattle panels)) then put a tarp over in winter so they still have use of the run in winter. You can build a conventional, wood frame coop then attach a hoop run to it. The best two things you can do when building a coop are making it easy to clean, and to make it predator proof from the start. Doing those two things will make your experience SO much more enjoyable!

 

[Minniechickmama]

So before winter hits. I'm going to be doing a fall cleaning and painting of the coop on the inside. And touch ups on the outside too. But I just saw a a coop on a popular blog and the walls were lined with TekFoil or Reflectix (after some major googling). It's like bubble wrap with tin foil. I just ordered a 100' roll from home depot. And my hope is that I will have a winter coop with winterized birds and the use of this wall covering to help keep in radiant heat from the birds without over doing it on insulation (mouse nest fodder). It's a little mechanical looking in a rustic coop. But I think it will be easier to clean. And I'm all for strategies on helping my birds deal with -25F without overly pampering them.

What do you guys think about this stuff?

I hate to tell you, but mice will chew this stuff, and if it is in their reach, chickens peck it. We have used it for our attached garage and those little B******* chewed it up. And it IS JUST like bubble wrap, so you aren't going to be spraying or scrubbing with a brush. BUT I think it can be helpful in some areas and it is easy to put up. There is also a product called Thermax that is 1" fiber-foam insulation that has foil front and back. It is for use on exteriors of building then siding applied over. It is a great product, but there again, if mice get to it, they chew right through and use it for nesting material.


I am actually going to be using the Tekfoil to line the inside of the wood incubator I am making to take back and forth to the county fair. I will only need to do some wiping down inside of it, so I think it should hold up pretty well.

 

[KlopKlop]

Thank you for the advice on the top. I forgot to mention there are fully grown trees in the area I will be putting the run so I'm really more worried about coons and other climbing critters than birds. At what height do you put the electric wire on your run? I hadn't thought of that before. I was just considering using a bunch of 1/4" hardware cloth.

This is a picture of the area my coop and run will be. There is a concrete slab(16'x10') where that deer blind is sitting and the run will be behind it. We thinned out the trees about 4 yrs ago and haven't mowed it at all this year.

Do you plan on having a secure coop where they will be locked up at night? If so, and predatory birds aren't a concern, a top on your run may not be necessary. My runs are made of 2x4 welded wire fencing 6' high. No top and no hardware cloth. Each night I close the girls up in their Coops after they go to roost. I have yet to lose a bird to predators and I know I have a high coon population in my area. Coons aren't usually an issue during the day unless something really strange happens.

An electric wire and/or a hardware cloth ring and skirt could be used if you wanted extra protection. I will try to snap some photos of my run after work if it isn't storming to show you

 

[Minniechickmama]

I just want to put this out there since you folks are some who I know take care of their birds well and can appreciate a good healthy bird more than just any old person buying off Craigslist.
I have a handful of nice cockerels I hatched this year that it would be a shame to see them go to be eaten. If any of you are in need of a good, solid rooster to add to your flock, I have some New Hampshires, Welsummers and maybe a Buckeye or two, and some Cochins. I have some point of lay pullets too to get out of here. If any of you could use some of these, let me know. I might even be able to meet part way for transport. After the last person who was out here, I am just disgusted about selling to strangers. I don't mind the younger boys I know I won't keep to go to be eaten, but I have these ones who are full grown that aren't making the cut but they are just beautiful birds. Like this one:


I can put some trios together too if anyone is looking for some Buckeyes or New Hampshires, maybe even Cochins. They would run $75 for a breeding trio.

 

[NikonD2xer]

I am sure they are not wild ducks. I have no problems at all taking the ducks.
I had 14 ducks last year that were rescues. I found out the quite a few of my family likes roast duck as do I.

I want to raise some ducks and geese next year. Turkeys would not be and either.
I am not worried about anything in my yard.
The squirrels have turned it into what looks and feels like a bombing range with craters and black walnut shrapnel everywhere.
Maizy the new pup is adding to the wildlife landscaping by digging for the nuts the squirrels have buried.

 

[Blooie]

If you have climbing/chewing/scratching critters to deal with, USE THE HARDWARE CLOTH.  Coon can and will chew right through that plastic stuff and they can chew through chicken wire too.  I suggest you look at the hoop run method for them.  You can make it long and have it covered with wire (attach from underside of supports (recommend cattle panels)) then put a tarp over in winter so they still have use of the run in winter.  You can build a conventional, wood frame coop then attach a hoop run to it.  The best two things you can do when building a coop are making it easy to clean, and to make it predator proof from the start.  Doing those two things will make your experience SO much more enjoyable!

I'm sure happy with my hoop run. Cheap, easy to build and maintain, looks nice (at least I think so) and it's withstood 60+ mph winds, blizzards, and snow load.

 

[ejb3810]

Rhetts, I don't know if someone wrote this previously, but if you have a dog or dogs do not put them outside unattended after dark. They will not be in danger from fox, bobcat or lone coyote, but a group of coyotes or any gray wolf would be a potential problem. There have been many instances of wolves attacking dogs in the Duluth area and up the N. Shore. In some cases the owner has witnessed the attack.