pekin vs hawk

scooter147

Songster
11 Years
Jul 30, 2008
2,042
84
221
Missouri
I have 40+ years with chickens and very little with ducks.
I have a pekin female and a pekin/mallard cross male that I rescued from a well meaning friend about three years ago.

They are locked in the coop at night with the chickens but free range during the day in my 3 acre fenced yard.

I had three feral chickens that a hen hatched without my knowledge and they became feral. Anyway last week a hawk got one and I did manage to catch the other two as they were hiding under the coop and only had one way out and I trapped them.


My question, these two ducks have been running around the yard for three years now and no problems to this point with predators. This morning while I was feeding the chickens freaked and started looking skyward and I saw a red tail sitting in the oak tree. The two ducks knew he was there as they kept turning their necks and keeping an eye on him. However, they didn't really seem scared of him like the chickens were.

Are red tails not a threat to ducks???
 
Silkie's Grandma :

A hawk is a threat to anything it can carry off. (Even if they can't lift a large duck, they may still attempt to, & cause internal injuries)

^^ i second this...we have smaller hawks that harass my pretty hefty chickens...they haven't hurt them yet but they easily could.​
 
I don't think a red tail could carry either one of these ducks away but I guess he could feed on the ground.
I was just amazed they seem to have no fear, the female only causually glanced at the hawk as she continued to look for whatever in the grass to eat, the male watched the hawk but was standing in the middle of the yard, again seemed to have not fear.
When the hawk flew off the chickens freaked out again an the ducks hardly flinched.

Any other thoughts on this would be appreciated.
 

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