What kind of duck would suit me best?

[Sparrow]

^^Exactly what I was thinking on both topics. I've never kept entirely free-range ducks...I'm buiding an entirely enclosed huge run for mine...but I can't imagine keeping any of my ducks unprotected. They do not seem to be the most savvy creatures when it comes to survival in the wild. I wouldn't expect them to be, either, since these guys are domestic and have never been taught how to survive on their own. A lot of them have body types that would seem to greatly reduce their survival abilities. I know it works out for some people, and I'm not going to tell you what's right and what's wrong. I'm just of the opinion that domestic ducks are happiest/most successful when they are provided with protection from us.

About the snapping turtles, I second the idea that they can take out grown ducks. Snapping turtles or alligator snapping turtles, depending on which part of the country you live in, are extremely accomplished ambush predators. They can grow to 200+ pounds, with a head larger than a human's, and at that size they could take out most anything they may come across. A bird is no match for these turtles. Even the smaller Common snappers can inflict a huge amount of damage. If these littler guys can remove our digits(which they definantly can!), imagine what they can do to a fragile , fleshy bird body.

I have a Common Snapper and an Alligator Snapper as "pets"...more like educational animals.....and they are only about 4-5 inches long each. They will try to take a bite out of MUCH larger objects than them with no hesitation. I can easily imagine bigger Snappers going for even a large goose.

^^This is why I'm going to use kiddie pools for my waterfowl. lol

 

[DuckLady]

This a link to an album of a friend who is a well known Wildlife Rehabilitator in NC. She is on the news all the time. She has wound pics of the waterfowl she rescues.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v86/ducklady/Wound Photos/?start=40
On the page I am sending you, page three, you will see a series of 6 pics of a snapper bit Canada goose, titles CG with snapper bite. Be warned these are graphic, so if you click and don't like, don't say you have not been warned.
Why I am posting this is that Canada geese are able to fly and have better chance of getting away than a domestic duck or goose that is unable to fly. So you can multiply the damage that can happen.

 

[Betsy]

Quote:
Do you have "No Trespassing" and "Danger, electric fence" signs up? If you don't, get some ASAP to limit your chances of getting sued big.

Geese are definitely a good idea. The only kind I've had have been mutts, but the ganders have always been nasty. You can show them who's boss if they get too nippy with you and your family...but let them be nasty with others. As for breeds, I've only had mutts, but remember reading in a book written sometime in the 1980's or so that the author wouldn't keep African geese if he had children around because they were so nasty.

Another bonus-geese can get noisy when something is not right, so they'll alert you to the presence of those unwanted fishers.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

We do not have any snappers on the pond that I know of. We remove turtles any chance we get just because they eat ducklings.

I have never had my own ducks on this pond, so I do not know how high the predation rate would be for the domestics. I wouldn't keep restocking my pond with predator food. LOL. That's why I wondered if my ducks would stand a chance.

I have only had 2 rouen that never lived long enough to make it to the large pond on the 8 acres. They befell their misfortune in my backyard(different location) when the dogs took an unfortunate interest.

There was a pekin our neighbor put on the pond and he seemed to last a few years at least. So I think larger ducks would do just fine on the pond.

I'll try a goose-duck combo and see how it turns out. If they start dissapearing to badly, I can try locking them up at night. Then if they dissapear completely, I'll know I am just not ready for ducks. LOL

-Kim