Raccoons and ducks

[eestep8]

I have always wanted to get a few ducks but have had problems with raccoons attacking our chickens in the past. Will raccoons attack ducks? How would I protect them if the are free range?
Thanks

 

[CindyS]

In a word, YES. If you let them free range, coop them up at night. they will learn to go in a building. they will not go in automatically like chickens but the will go with a little coaxing.

 

[RoyalHillsLLC]

Raccoons were murder on my ducks, literally. I tried everything, and finally settled on an LGD, a livestock guard dog. This has worked great.
Domestic ducks are not very mobile, as the ability to fly has been bred out of most breeds. My muscovies were best able to survive, but only after they were old enough to fly. It was near impossible to get them to this age without keeping them penned al the time. Now, no problems.
I bought a Great Pyrenees.

 

[TheDuckCrew]

i have a fox living practically in my back yard, we also have raccoons that visit us and bears (idk what they would do...don't ever want to find out) and wild dogs. so far, our ducks have been fine but i don't want to jinks myself. we built a pen for them, which is 2 by 4s with chicken wire around it. its 8 by 8. then for the winter, we built them a house which is more 2 by 4s and a LOT of plywood. its 4 by 8 and its connected to the pen. since we live next to a pond, we've had some snake problems. one was so fat it couldn't fit through the chicken wire which was good and then the same one (its HUGE!!!) has gone after them a couple times when they were at the pond. it even tried to bite my once. the ducks have always been able to sense/hear it before it gets close. i would say your ducks would be okay as long as you put them somewhere safe at night, put them in before dusk and let them out after dawn, so most predators aren't out. good luck!

 

[crazy cat lady]

Last Spring with the flooding of fields and rivers, the raccoons got my ducks before they got a few of my chickens. I had 5 ducks in with the chickens in a separate area and everyday day for 5 days I had a duck disappear and saw the raccoon tracks to boot. I now have 4 new ducks and I will keep a very close eye on them and make sure I lock them up each night before it gets dark out.

 

[eestep8]

Thanks for all your help.

I quess I will build a building near the pond and feed them in the evening in the building to lure them inside for the night

 

[digginchicks]

I would be goin coon huntin lol

 

[cici_p]

Last time we had ducks all three females got killed by a racoon in *the middle of the day* with our "guard dogs" (lol) snoozing in the house. We locked ours up at night, but never expected a mid-day raid--esp with three dogs sharing the yard with the ducks.
When the coons have babies they like to take them out to teach them things. This momma apparently wanted to teach her brood how to kill ducks

(You just snap their neck like this. . .) The male duck was traumatized for days afterwards, until we rehomed him with folks with a big pond. . .Racoons are frustrating because they will kill for no reason. Our ducks were just laying there with their necks snapped when we found them, racoon prints all around. The dogs were as shocked as we were! When we get our chickens and ducks this time around we will be more careful about letting them out to roam, even in the day.
Christy

 

[DuckLady]

Raccoons will eat the head and crop of their victims at least. THey don't kill for sport, wasteful as they might be.

Dogs are more likely to snap the neck. They see the ducks as a squeaky toy and they will shake the toy til it stops squeaking and move on to thr next one.

 

[rlhbond]

Last year one of my dogs developed a taste for duck He would eat the whole thing. I'm going to have to train him with a shock collar this spring.