Wild Ducks invading my Free-Range chicken property.

[MollyDog01]

Looking for any advice....which is probably NOT going to be what I want to hear but we free range our Pekin Bantams daily. We are breeders so have anywhere up to 100 birds at any given time on the property. We are in a rural area, with lots of dams around and these obviously attract ducks. We have just had a big problem with lice which we assume is being brought in by the wild ducks. Trouble is, what can we actually do about them? We don't want to do anything to scare or hurt our stock, but we have had over 20 wild ducks joining our Pekins in the yard.
We've tried to limit the food out in the open so ducks are not attracted, but unfortunately they also waddle their way into the pens and nests and help themselves inside the houses.
Any ideas????

 

[boskelli1571]

Seems like you have a couple of choices - trap the wild ducks when they are in the pens or (here's the one you don't want to hear) shoot them. If it's only lice you are worried about then it's not a big deal I guess. We have Avian Influenza going on over here, so the latter choice would be the best option if you are concerned about that.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

Better check regulations on wild waterfowl there. Here in the States it is illegal to shoot or trap wild waterfowl unless during hunting season then you can shoot them but no trapping.

 

[thomasboyle]

Send them my way! I have a 2 acre pond in my backyard and have been trying to stock it with wild ducks. I raise chickens, pekins and mallards, and the first group of mallards I raised lived on the pond for the season, but the second group wanted nothing to do with it!

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Ducks don't usually get lice. It probably came from sparrows or some other small bird.