Some tragedy in the flock

[the_finch_family]

So, I know I've made some mistakes, but man nothing prepared me for just how unpredictable cats can be, and how dumb some ducks can be... no offense to my ducks.

We started with adding 6 ducklings this spring, now we are down to 3.
First week outside in the run (fully feathered at that point), and 2 managed to drown. We have a tub the ducks like to bathe in, but we covered it over with planks to make sure the young ones don't swim unattended, and left just a head sized gap for them to drink from it.
They managed to move the planks just a little bit and then 2 dove under and died there...

Then our local "always hungry" cat attacked 2 others, one of which he absolutely obliterated.

Now we have the last 3 ducklings inside, one recovering from her face and wing getting bit, the other from a twisted ankle, and the 3rd one is just under observation and keeping the others company.

I have a lot to learn, but man... After having the other ducks for a few months, I have never thought a cat would even dare to attack one of those big babies, and I've never thought a duck could drown either. You'd assume they would just find their way out right? It's not a big tub, maybe 50cm across max.

I don't know, I just wanted to rant.

Do any of you have experience keeping ducks in an area where people let their cats roam free all the time? Because after this and my past experiences with them, making a fur hat is sounding more and more appealing.

 

[Callender Girl]

I am sorry to learn of your losses; I know how discouraging it can be to lose animals when you think you're doing things right. I think most of us experience hard-learned and regret-filled lessons with our birds.

Predators here include coyotes, opossums, raccoons, minks, eagles, owls, hawks and feral cats. Consequently, my poultry only "free range" when I am home, and they are confined to the fenced, south yard, which is visible from windows in the dining and living rooms.

Still, I haven't been able to protect everybody all the time. I lost a drake and three chickens to a mink who killed the hens one night, then returned and took out the duck. If your birds aren't constantly protected (hardware-cloth runs for all of mine!), they can be constantly in danger.

Currently, there is a very friendly tom cat who regularly appears on my property. Unlike the ferals, he's clearly well fed and has no interest in chasing chickens, ducks or geese. Although the poultry usually has no issue with feral cats and lets them pass through unannounced, they all seem disturbed by this tom's presence. Maybe he's just trying to convince me he's no threat, but they've seen his "dark side"? I don't know.

As far as drowning, I've read about ducklings that did, but I've never had to deal with that.

Best wishes for the recovery of your injured babies!

 

[the_finch_family]

I am sorry to learn of your losses; I know how discouraging it can be to lose animals when you think you're doing things right. I think most of us experience hard-learned and regret-filled lessons with our birds.

Predators here include coyotes, opossums, raccoons, minks, eagles, owls, hawks and feral cats. Consequently, my poultry only "free range" when I am home, and they are confined to the fenced, south yard, which is visible from windows in the dining and living rooms.

Still, I haven't been able to protect everybody all the time. I lost a drake and three chickens to a mink who killed the hens one night, then returned and took out the duck. If your birds aren't constantly protected (hardware-cloth runs for all of mine!), they can be constantly in danger.

Currently, there is a very friendly tom cat who regularly appears on my property. Unlike the ferals, he's clearly well fed and has no interest in chasing chickens, ducks or geese. Although the poultry usually has no issue with feral cats and lets them pass through unannounced, they all seem disturbed by this tom's presence. Maybe he's just trying to convince me he's no threat, but they've seen his "dark side"? I don't know.

As far as drowning, I've read about ducklings that did, but I've never had to deal with that.

Best wishes for the recovery of your injured babies!

Thank you.
Thing is, that cat is well fed, even fat. He wears a collar but nobody wants to admit who owns him now

I've also heard about ducklings drowning, but never at the age when they're fully feathered... it's sad but I'm glad it happened now before I've started building their new pond, because I'll be able to adjust my design with it in mind.

Things like this are a hard lesson learned.

 

[Lor]

Sorry for your loss.
This is my first year dealing with a stray cat. It walks along the fence line. The chickens alert me but the ducks don't. sigh. I'm hoping to not have a problem with it.

 

[the_finch_family]

Sorry for your loss.
This is my first year dealing with a stray cat. It walks along the fence line. The chickens alert me but the ducks don't. sigh. I'm hoping to not have a problem with it.

If you have a dog, I've noticed that just the scent of their pee (applied daily) helps a lot with most cats. This one's just too brave for his own good

 

[Ourgosling22]

So, I know I've made some mistakes, but man nothing prepared me for just how unpredictable cats can be, and how dumb some ducks can be... no offense to my ducks.

We started with adding 6 ducklings this spring, now we are down to 3.
First week outside in the run (fully feathered at that point), and 2 managed to drown. We have a tub the ducks like to bathe in, but we covered it over with planks to make sure the young ones don't swim unattended, and left just a head sized gap for them to drink from it.
They managed to move the planks just a little bit and then 2 dove under and died there...

Then our local "always hungry" cat attacked 2 others, one of which he absolutely obliterated.

Now we have the last 3 ducklings inside, one recovering from her face and wing getting bit, the other from a twisted ankle, and the 3rd one is just under observation and keeping the others company.

View attachment 3482286

I have a lot to learn, but man... After having the other ducks for a few months, I have never thought a cat would even dare to attack one of those big babies, and I've never thought a duck could drown either. You'd assume they would just find their way out right? It's not a big tub, maybe 50cm across max.

I don't know, I just wanted to rant.

Do any of you have experience keeping ducks in an area where people let their cats roam free all the time? Because after this and my past experiences with them, making a fur hat is sounding more and more appealing.

I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your feathered babies and pray for a good recovery for the others. A fur hat sounds warm! Lol It’s never easy having to learn things the hard way and when you care about your animals it seems like your back is always up making sure they are ok and protected. Unfortunately nature just seems to intervene negatively sometimes.
As for the cats, it just depends on the cats in my opinion. I am an amateur duck/goose keeper of only a little over a year and like you only free range them when I’m home just because of our situation but not because of the cats. I have 7 cats that stay in our yard and roam. I have one old one that I know is a huntress and another young one that is very playful. I thought I was going to have a time protecting my flock against them but fortunately the cats could care less. Ironically my drake will charge after them even when they aren’t doing anything! It’s funny to watch him do that. So it just depends. My neighbor has feral cats in his yard but they are so skittish and scaredy cats so they don’t wander over too far. We do have coyotes, raccoons, possums, scavenger birds, hawks, snakes and wild pigs so we have to be as proactive as we can as well. It sounds like your doing what you can and you will figure out what works and what doesn’t. Remember-ducks LOVE water so they will try to figure out a way to find some. If you don’t have any already kiddie pools work great! They are shallow and easy enough for them to get in and out.
I didn’t mean to ramble on-just letting you know you’re not alone!

 

[Lor]

If you have a dog, I've noticed that just the scent of their pee (applied daily) helps a lot with most cats. This one's just too brave for his own good

We lost our dog a year ago from cancer. If I see it again I'm going to try to spray it with the hose.

 

[Ourgosling22]

If you have a dog, I've noticed that just the scent of their pee (applied daily) helps a lot with most cats. This one's just too brave for his own good

I have dogs as well in close proximity to all the animals. They are a good deterrent. Again be sure he is trained and some are just too bird happy.

 

[the_finch_family]

I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your feathered babies and pray for a good recovery for the others. A fur hat sounds warm! Lol It’s never easy having to learn things the hard way and when you care about your animals it seems like your back is always up making sure they are ok and protected. Unfortunately nature just seems to intervene negatively sometimes.
As for the cats, it just depends on the cats in my opinion. I am an amateur duck/goose keeper of only a little over a year and like you only free range them when I’m home just because of our situation but not because of the cats. I have 7 cats that stay in our yard and roam. I have one old one that I know is a huntress and another young one that is very playful. I thought I was going to have a time protecting my flock against them but fortunately the cats could care less. Ironically my drake will charge after them even when they aren’t doing anything! It’s funny to watch him do that. So it just depends. My neighbor has feral cats in his yard but they are so skittish and scaredy cats so they don’t wander over too far. We do have coyotes, raccoons, possums, scavenger birds, hawks, snakes and wild pigs so we have to be as proactive as we can as well. It sounds like your doing what you can and you will figure out what works and what doesn’t. Remember-ducks LOVE water so they will try to figure out a way to find some. If you don’t have any already kiddie pools work great! They are shallow and easy enough for them to get in and out.
I didn’t mean to ramble on-just letting you know you’re not alone!

Oh I absolutely agree with you, it depends on the cat. I'm just really not a fan of the way people in my town keep their cats, as someone who had primarily birds in and outside their home. They basically roam free and come home for food, as barn cats would. That'd be amazing and all, but we are in town.... not in the countryside.
Oh and I was considering a kiddie pool, but decided against it since I've wanted to build a small pond for ages anyways. I'm definitely making it more shallow than originally designed though, I'm not going through this heartbeak again. Right now, they have sort of a shallow storage container as a little 2-duck-at-a-time pool rather than the old one.
And thank you so much, I've felt like such a horrible bird mom after all this, it's just good to hear that I'm not alone

 

[the_finch_family]

We lost our dog a year ago from cancer. If I see it again I'm going to try to spray it with the hose.

I'm so sorry for your loss... My boyfriend chases the cats with a water gun whenever they get brave enough to show up lol, it's made a huge difference.