wanted: guard duck

[chickensducks&agoose]

I have a goose with my ducks for the same reason. totally worth the occasional eating of small children...

 

[duckyfromoz]

Unfortunately I can no longer have geese- as I live in the city- But have raised a few and kept them around the house for up to 6 months each time. They have saved my house from a robery once-But more recently my loud quacking ducks did too at about 1am in the morning. I would also recommend a goose over a duck when it comes to predator protection.

 

[lovesduckies]

chickensducks&agoose :

I have a goose with my ducks for the same reason. totally worth the occasional eating of small children...

 

[FenDruadin]

I have a goose with my ducks for the same reason. totally worth the occasional eating of small children...

I completely agree. I like the way you think.​

 

[chasing ducks]

I have a Guinea hen and she's awesome for an alarm system. Her noises also scare off alot of predators. As a plus, you don't have to feed them much as they do most of their own foraging, they eat bugs, ticks, etc.

 

[newchickmom09]

I agree with the goose idea. If you want a duck that quacks then get basicaly anything besides a scovie.

 

[Iheart'scovies]

Sounds like most of you keep the geese and ducks together... so they get along okay, then? I have 3 muscovies (1 pretty dominant male and two sweet as pie females) and would LOVE to get some of those gorgeous fluffy sabastopol geese someday, but I heard that the larger geese would 'pick on' the ducks.

So, this hasn't been your experience? Did you do anything special to make them get along? Can they be overnighted in the same enclosure?
thanks!

 

[FenDruadin]

My goose was raised along with the ducks, so they've never been anything but family. I sometimes rearrange my flocks, and I've not had any trouble with integrating new ducks either. I don't know whether it's important to raise the goose with ducks so they identify with the species or not, but that's what I did. When introducing new ducks, I use the same precautions I would if I didn't have a goose, and the intros have always gone very well. Once the goose asserts his dominance and the duck accepts, they get along just fine--he doesn't try to hurt them.

Now, on the other hand, he wants to kill the ducklings BAD. As soon as he saw them in their outdoor enclosure he started hollering and came flying--flying, really--down from the patio where they'd been foraging, and began trying everything he could to get at them, hissing and honking and basically being furious that the little buggers dared to infringe on his territory. So I would not ever let ducklings within his reach. But full-grown ducks, no problem.

 

[Iheart'scovies]

My male muscovy is already that kind of personality, so I wonder if that would make it not work. 'He' is the boss and all that he sees is 'His' territory

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Quote:
Nilatti I don't know what your set-up is but I have sucessfully used electric wire around a large pen to keep away racoon and fox.
As far as getting an alarm duck, just about any kind of domestic duck except a muscovy is a loud quacker, but calls are actually bred to quack loudly (that's actually how they got their name). I suspect Runners are the best foragers, and their quack is plenty loud.
One thing I might add about using a duck as an alarm, both the times I have witnessed my ducks being pursued by predators they didn't quack, they were very quiet and focused on physically escaping. So they may not create the noise you are looking for during an attack.
Getting geese is a fun idea. Another idea is a LGD, livestock guard dog. I just met the sweetest Great Pyrenees who guards a farm around here. She does an excellent job of keeping several small flocks of chickens and ducks safe from hawk, racoon, fox, and coyotte. You need plenty of room for one of those though.