Tell How Predators Got Your Ducks. Save Somebody Else From The Bad Experience

[furbabymum]

Please keep us posted on how to run a wire around the pen..seems like that would solve many of these predator issues.

Oh it's super easy. you just but the wire and the unit. Then you buy these plastic extenders you nail to your fence posts. You run the wire around, ground it, plug it into the unit and done.

 

[Amiga]

For ground, I bought a 6 ft long metal rod. Since this is New England and I did not have all day, I cut the metal rod in half with a reciprocating saw using a blade for cutting metal. (remember safety first! Eyes covered! Real shoes!)

Then I pounded the rods as deeply into the ground as I could. Which was only a total of about two feet. This does provide a bit of a shock, and it has worked so far.

However, on my list of do's is to get a spud bar (4 ft long iron rod with a pointed tip that weighs about ten or twelve pounds) and pound much deeper holes and re-sink the ground rods. That is because the deeper the ground rods, the more pop from the wire. Also if you have a dry spell and the soil dries out, there is less oomph, so sometimes I water around the ground rods.

I have the coated wire that comes off the black terminal on the fence charger attached to one ground rod, then another coated wire, I call it a jumper wire, from one ground rod to the other.

 

[Going Quackers]

Well i only ended up with an injured duck but when we first began, we didn't size down the chain link of the dog run... mistake.. a coon reached through and ripped open the side of one of the ducks.. this was overnight.. we did reinforce the pen overall as it never penetrated it but the reach n grab we knew nothing of. The ducks only lasting injury was the loss of sight in one eye, he recovered fully otherwise.

We no longer use the pen overnight and opt to lock the ducks up at night in a building, we free range during the day.

 

[dermefel]

We have tried to raise all of our poultry on pasture. We had 7 Buff ducks in a hoop house style "duck tractor" made on a 2x4 frame with cattle panels bent in an arc. Hardware cloth around the bottom half, and 14 gauge 2x3 fence over the top half of the sides, and hardware cloth on the front and back.

This past weekend we got hit by a predator. We lost 6 of the 7 ducks, including a broody hen in her last week of sitting on 6 eggs.

I took some time to try and figure out how it got in. I am fairly certain now that it was a fox. It might have been a raccoon, but the droppings are a bit more consistent with a fox. Our pasture is not even, and the ground is rough. From what I can piece together, it appears the predator was able to wedge under a small gap between the ground and the sled and dig it's way in just a hair more. We had triple digit heat for about 10 days in a row, and that night I had decided to go spray the ducks down with a hose. I am thinking in doing so, I softened the ground around the tractor a bit as well, making it easier to dig in.

I believe someone else also posted this, but nothing is 100% predator proof. Most of the things I have built, have been done with predators in mind. A lot of my farm friends tell me I overbuild. This experience has made me think more about building portable coops attached to larger runs (which I do have a couple of already), to give me something to lock animals up in at night with solid walls. I am also thinking more about the electric fence option.

 

[PeanutnCashew]

"..nothing is 100% predator proof. Most of the things I have built, have been done with predators in mind."-dermefel

That is so frustrating Its hard for us to think like these predators and frustrating when they outsmart us!

 

[Amiga]

I try to remember that while I have a number of things to do during the day and evening, and sleep much of the night, predators don't sleep at night and have not much else to do than to find a way to get their food.

 

[PeanutnCashew]

I try to remember that while I have a number of things to do during the day and evening, and sleep much of the night, predators don't sleep at night and have not much else to do than to find a way to get their food.

Yep..exactly why I have yet to let mine sleep outside at night! agghhh!

 

[cymbaline]

My idea for an super-safe duck aviary is as follows: 1" chain link fence, even on top, coming down the sides and also bury it into the ground, sloping like an "L" out into the yard underground (if that makes sense), so that anything that tries to dig under will still hit the fencing. I also think having the first 2'-3' off the ground being solid wood or metal would help because then the predators couldn't see them or reach in. I'm also thinking that would keep snakes from being able to get in through the 1" hole in the fence. What does everyone think? Anything you'd change about this dream duck-home?

 

[DuckiesAndBees]

Great thread idea! I have a couple of questions:

Amiga (or anyone else using electric fence)- I'm having trouble picturing your set-up. How do you keep the ducks from the electric fence. My ducks are pretty oblivious to the fence and run into it a lot. Maybe you have smart ducks?

Also, I'm in the process of putting patio pavers under my duck pen, which is a chain link dog kennel. The ducks are currently locked in at night, but I'm thinking that once I put down the pavers, run a few feet of hardware cloth around the whole thing, and secure the top with hardware cloth and a tin panel roof, I can let them sleep there at night without locking them up. Does anyone see any flaws in this set-up?

Also, I'm going to use pine shavings and/or rubber mats on top of the pavers so that their little feet don't hurt!

 

[Cuckoomama]

My ducks and chickens share a house and a yard for 1/2 the day and free range the rest of the day/evening. I was hanging clothes on the clothesline and went into the house to pick up the phone and bring it outside. During those few minutes an eagle swooped down and grabbed one of my Khaki Campbell females. As I came out the door, I saw the eagle at tree height with hen in her grip. If I had had a gun, I would have shot her down....I was praying that the eagle would drop her as it had a small dog in the next town ...Newspaper read..."Small dog drops from the sky and lives". We have too many predetors, bears, coyotes, cougars, Racoons, eagles, hawks, Osprey, and on and on... Too many predators, not enough eyes. Thanks heavens my husband works at home. He is really good to keep and eye on things.