Stop looking at my ducks that way!

[LlamaGirl4]

I went out to play with my ducks this afternoon and they were all in their pen....which never happens. All except Daisy my beautiful white duck. There was a hawk eating him in my duck run in the only part that had no netting across the top. I am so sad. I loved that duck so much. He'd sit in my lap and love on me every night and I'd sing to him and he'd go to sleep while I scratched his little head. He was so beautiful. View attachment 1602021

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hopefully, our neighbor’s chickens are ok. Sadly, the only weapons we have in the house are cheap steak knives. While I’m relatively sure that the barn is secure, at least as far as owls go, I will now have to resort to being painfully paranoid rather than simply extremely cautious when they are not locked up. Rawr.

No weapons at my home too - except for my tongue that is…
But you can build a slingshot relatively easy and shoot pebbles at any unwanted guests - or ice cubes at this time of the year.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I think you're right about Daisy protecting his girls. When I would let them out to free range (only when I was with them) Daisy was the one who was always alert, not foraging but watching. It's like he knew something was lurking.

That's the job of the drakes apart from making ducklings.
So sorry about Daisy! I don't know what i would do to a hawk taking one of my boys. I'd probably rip out its feathers one by one…

 

[DuckyDonna]

That's the job of the drakes apart from making ducklings.
So sorry about Daisy! I don't know what i would do to a hawk taking one of my boys. I'd probably rip out its feathers one by one…

I know you're not supposed to shoot hawks but all bets are off on that from now on. I've got to be honest. That hawk scared me and I was afraid to attack it without a weapon. This spring I had a 6' king snake kill Daisy's sister and naturally I came up on it and saw it happening. Once again I was too late to do anything because the sweet little baby was already dead....as well as the snake when my husband blew it apart! I'm starting to wonder if I should even have any ducks because I love them so much that it rips my heart out when this stuff happens. Now I only have one duck left from my hatchings this spring and her 3 mothers. I've rigged up my pen now with netting and fencing so tight that I've just about have to crawl into it.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I know you're not supposed to shoot hawks but all bets are off on that from now on. I've got to be honest. That hawk scared me and I was afraid to attack it without a weapon. This spring I had a 6' king snake kill Daisy's sister and naturally I came up on it and saw it happening. Once again I was too late to do anything because the sweet little baby was already dead....as well as the snake when my husband blew it apart! I'm starting to wonder if I should even have any ducks because I love them so much that it rips my heart out when this stuff happens. Now I only have one duck left from my hatchings this spring and her 3 mothers. I've rigged up my pen now with netting and fencing so tight that I've just about have to crawl into it.

I don't think i would shoot that hawk, but if i would see something attacking one of my ducks, i believe i could kill a grizzly with a teaspoon. I had a hawk sitting on a tree on my property and my ducks were well aware of the danger and kept close to the house. Fortunately the crows saw the hawk too, boy was he beaten up before he could leave…
But in the end all we can do is protect our birds as much as we can and if the sh*t hits the fan - there's nothing one can do, it'll be ugly.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I don't think i would shoot that hawk, but if i would see something attacking one of my ducks, i believe i could kill a grizzly with a teaspoon. I had a hawk sitting on a tree on my property and my ducks were well aware of the danger and kept close to the house. Fortunately the crows saw the hawk too, boy was he beaten up before he could leave…
But in the end all we can do is protect our birds as much as we can and if the sh*t hits the fan - there's nothing one can do, it'll be ugly.

So crows will make the hawk go away or attack them? Will the crows bother ducks? I've got tons of crows around here and always wondered about that. Also, what about vultures? Tons of those flying around here all the time too. Will they bother the ducks?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So crows will make the hawk go away or attack them?

At least here they did several times, especially when they have chicks. I have seen them attacking hawks in the air - dive-bombing them. And that one time when Mrs./Mr. Hawk was sitting in the Tulip-tree. The crows bumped into her/him so hard that she/he lost balance and fell off the branch. Lucky for her/him that tree sits over a depression so there was enough airspace under the lowest branch to spread the wings and take flight. Crows are intelligent and know how to deal with predators. - And ducklings, unfortunately.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

There is a reason why i feed the wild birds and the chipmunks here: The more natural prey is available, the less likely the predators will try to get to my guarded ducks.
And yes, there is always some food out for the crows.

 

[DuckyDonna]

There is a reason why i feed the wild birds and the chipmunks here: The more natural prey is available, the less likely the predators will try to get to my guarded ducks.
And yes, there is always some food out for the crows.

I feed the birds too but the feeders are not near the barn where the duck run/pen is. So what about vultures? Will they go after live ducks? I know they go after anything dead but I wasn't sure about live creatures.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I feed the birds too but the feeders are not near the barn where the duck run/pen is. So what about vultures? Will they go after live ducks? I know they go after anything dead but I wasn't sure about live creatures.

You have vultures in Georgia?!? You live in Georgia, US, not in Georgia in the Caucasian mountains do you?
I know nothing about vultures first hand, but i think if there is an opportunity, there will be a predator…