Of all things it's the Raven

new2pheasants

In the Brooder
7 Years
May 15, 2012
52
1
29
Cloverdale, BC
So Living in the middle of nowhere with 3 acres to do with as I please I decided to do what I've wanted for so long, keep some birds. so I got 2 muscovy ducks and three ring neck pheasants, I was warned by all the neighbours that nobody keeps chickens and the like because of bears, cougars, racoons, otters and the roaming neighbourhood dogs. Turns out my problem is a pair of ravens, dam big ravens too, they got 3 duckling and an old duck who couldn't get away fast enough. Dam bird sits there and plucks feathers out of my duckies! I'm netting the whole pen this weekend to keep them at bay and hope that will be the end of it but I hate how its the raven as I love ravens, I was so happy to see the pair when I moved in and now every time I hear them coming I can't help but sit with the duckies until I know their safe.

I don't want to try and hurt the raven or anything but trying to think what else I can do to scare off a raven that's bigger then my muscovy ducks, Would having a large goose bodyguard help?

I really enjoy letting the birds out of the pen to forage the yard but I can't pen in and net my whole yard, its frustrating.
 
sorry to hear your problem....

It sounds like you are doing what you can to protect them. A goose may help--Have you considered your own dog? Dogs can be trained to work well as guards and trained not to harm chickens. The dog could also alert you to neighborhood dogs coming around and any other predator from the list you mentioned. There is a link to a video on my page where it shows a trainer working with dogs & chickens.

Hope your netting will beat the raven problem.
 
I was having problems with a pair of ravens as well. My dogs do a good job at deterring them, but they are in the house when I am not home. I covered my pens in welded wire and got 2 big geese, problem solved. Geese protect them when they free roam and wire does when they are home. Good luck
 
No, a goose can't help. Crows beat my geese off their nests to steal the eggs, nearly blinded a duck, and killed 2 three pound chickens.
Ravens, being much bigger, can do more damage.

An acquaintance had ravens blind his goose trying to beat her off her nest.

For protection, your birds need to be in secure covered runs. Then the ravens can't get to them.
 
Thank you everyone, I don't have a dog, can't get a dog sadly. I have netted my whole pen and now I seem to have a new problem, I only have 2 ducks and one now, since I netted there pen and won't allow them out without supervision, is showing aggression towards the other duck. She is pulling her feathers out and runs her off food and water and there nest area, I'm not sure what to do other then let go of one of them.
the angry duck is laying eggs, is a younger duck and my favorite her poor pen mate is an older duck who has stopped laying and I'm not really sure why she's being attacked as they have been together for a while and the only change is the netting that keeps them in at at times.
 
Yes must get an emu lol, how are the eggs btw?

The funny thing is my local crows don't bother my ducks at all, they don't go after their food and they let me know right away when the raven is around and half the time scares him off before I need too.
Not sure if I could get a dog to do a better job then those crows, funny birds.
 
I just found homes for a few of my ducks and this happened to me too! One of my ducks starting getting all beat up by two of the others. It is due to stress. My opinion, get another duck or two!
 
Thank you Buxton ducks, I was hoping to end up with 3 or 4 ducks, now I just have the 2 and I was worried getting more would just cause more trouble.
I got the ducks at the livestock auction, so no history on them just thought I'd try my luck getting a laying duck, I'm quite sure both of them had never seen the outside of a badly kept barn before, took me forever to get them to try foraging, Still yet to get my muscovies to eat slugs, they just don't know what to do with them.

I'm hoping to find someone who raises their ducks like ducks so maybe I can get one that will teach my girls a thing or two about living. The aggressive duck is a fine fat black girl while the other seems to be a very old duck who hasn't had a good life, when I first got her she had issues walking but she seems to be doing better now, since the netting the black duck won't let the old duck near her nest box leaving old duck to sit in the rain which just seems sad.

Question? if my duck is stressing how can adding more ducks to her pen help, I was thinking that she's wanting a mate and is being frustrated that there is only a girl duck around so is picking on her, any other thoughts?
 

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