Two Days In a Row, Two Dead Ducks

[americanchicks]

Hi all,
So Sunday night around 9 I hear a ruckus from the ducks when I let the dog out. Quacking splashing and all that. Grab the flashlight got out there but did not see anything but very upset ducks. Did notice however Nutmeg my smallest Muscovy was missing. Looked around did not see any signs of "foul play" Fingers crossed that shes gone broody and was hiding. Well the next morning turned up nothing. No feathers, no bent wire or hole in the fence, but worst of all no Nutmeg. Even a search around the pen turned up nothing.

Last night went to bed around the same time. Laying in bed i hear a screech of an owl. Grabbed the flashlight and searched the trees, nothing. All ducks where accounted for. This morning I see I am again down one duck. This time one of the young Khakis. Again no feathers or any thing. I went to search but this time I found him. He was about 40 feet from the pen. Only thing left was head that was still connected to the esophagus and the guts. Wings, feet, and feathers. Every thing else gone. Strange thing was no feather trail at all.

Any ideas? Was thinking owl because lack of feathers and no fence entry. (we have a hot wire) but what ever ate it was efficient eating almost everything.

 

[sylviethecochin]

@A_Fowl_Guy

 

[aliciaFarmer]

It sounds like it could definitely be an owl. Do you not close your ducks up at night? Unfortunately they are tasty treats to lots of animals and if given access, they will take the opportunity to snatch them. So sorry for your losses.

 

[americanchicks]

Thank you. No those silly little quackers. My hubby built them a beautiful blue coop but they dont go in it, its plenty large enough. I my be catching ducks to put them in at night for a while. Im thinking about putting on a top on the enclosure.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Sounds like an owl as stated before.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

Thank you. No those silly little quackers. My hubby built them a beautiful blue coop but they dont go in it, its plenty large enough. I my be catching ducks to put them in at night for a while. Im thinking about putting on a top on the enclosure.

It took quite a bit of work but we had to train ours to go in at night. We live in an area with a ton of predators so I knew that not closing them up would mean duck loss. If there is a treat they love, I would try tossing some in at night to get them to go in. Mine love fresh peas and mealworms. Those were the two main things we used to get them inside. When they were really reluctant to go in, I would take a long stick and kind of point it towards the duck house door. They were very quick to run inside then. Not in a threatening or aggressive manner, of course, but I think it helped to direct them. Now I just say "ducky bedtime" and they go right in. They're almost 10 months old and have the routine down now.

 

[americanchicks]

Well there is good news. My muscovy Maggie just came out from under the coop she hatched 7 ducklings! (my first mamma hatching) But now i have even more reasons to be worried! Do you think a christmas light display would help deter them? Just a thought about plugging in those orbs that shine moving lights on the side of your house, maybe spook it off. Or get a duck decoy and electrify it

 

[aliciaFarmer]

Congratulations! That's awesome! Although I think the lights would be pretty, I don't necessarily think they would be effective. I honestly think the only foolproof option is locking your ducks and baby ducklings in at night. As long as their house is totally secure, that's the only way you can avoid future tragedy in my opinion. It's a hassle training them to go in and takes a lot of time, but I think we need to put in the time and effort as caretakers of precious animals to ensure their safety and well-being. I don't know anyone who has had luck keeping predators away from ducks or other animals that aren't kept secure at night. Maybe it can be done, I just haven't heard any positive stories on that front.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Well there is good news. My muscovy Maggie just came out from under the coop she hatched 7 ducklings! (my first mamma hatching) But now i have even more reasons to be worried! Do you think a christmas light display would help deter them? Just a thought about plugging in those orbs that shine moving lights on the side of your house, maybe spook it off. Or get a duck decoy and electrify it

I replied to your other thread, but x2 on @aliciaFarmer's post...securing ducks at night really is the only way to keep them safe. They can be "herded" in with long sticks (I use lengths of PVC pipe). If your ducks stay out after dark, they will most likely continue to be picked off. I learned that the hard way - when I first got Muscovy (several years ago), some of the ducks would fly up too high for me to reach them, even with the pole. They were gone the next morning. At dusk, the owls begin hooting...and ducks need to get in their secure coop.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

Herded. That's what I was trying to say. Thank you, @FoodFreedomNow! While training ours, I used a long length of bamboo. It worked very well especially in conjunction with treats.