Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The principal challenges for ducks are hawks and owls. Owls are night hunters and
so the poaching of your ducklings by owls is easiest to control by simply shutting up the
ducks in their shelter at night. Hawks are daytime hunters and can be a bigger challenge.
You can control losses from hawks by providing a lot of cover for ducks to hide. Trees,
bushes, and even handmade shelters crafted out of brush work great.
Mink love ducks and the first sign of mink damage is usually that there are no ducks
left alive in the pen and you find a few with the heads eaten off. Weasels are a big chal-
lenge as they can get into the smallest of holes and kill young ducks. I personally have
never lost adults to weasels, but do not rule them out. If a weasel is the culprit, you'll
find all the ducks dead, usually with teeth marks in the neck.
Cats will prey on young ducks but are not a problem for adult ducks. Dogs, especially
hunting-type dogs and strays, will attack ducks of any age without warning. The best
protection against these domesticated animals is pet-training your own animals, and
making sure all the neighbors know you have ducks.
Foxes are swift and crafty, and will grab a duck, regardless of size; they can be gone
in a flash.
Skunks and opossums are also formidable attackers. Other large predators — bobcats
out west, fishers and martens in the North Country — also threaten duck babies. Fences
and trapping are the best methods for control.
Last, but surely not least, make sure keep your young ducklings in an area free from
rats. Rats love young ducklings and will wipe out many day-olds in only a few minutes.
So don't forget to lock up. Even if your ducks are trained to go into the shelter, keep
in mind that ducks have great night vision — if it rains and they have access, they'll go
roaming in the dark to play, soon becoming dinner for owls, raccoons, or other night-
time predators. A detailed discussion of predators and deterrent methods can be found
in
chapter 26
, Dealing with Predators.
Muscovies
Muscovies are native to South America, where they are a wild bird. They also are found
in the wild in southern parts of the Gulf Coast states. Although considered waterfowl,
Muscovies are neither ducks nor geese, and possess entirely different habits than do oth-
er waterfowl. I tend to think of them as dryland waterfowl. They can get along with a
lot less water than can geese or ducks, and they like to roost. They also like to bathe and
play in water, but don't demand a daily bath.
PYSANKY
