Keeping ducks safe from bald eagles, etc

[storiesandglass]

Hey all!! My khaki campbell flock of 9 one-year-old ducks love to spend time out of the pen in the creek, sun bathing, etc. BUT we have some nesting bald eagles in the field near our house. We also have other predators that I want to protect them from.

I'm considering building a large hoop coop from cattle panels covered in chicken wire (I found a great post on BYC about this!!) to give them more room to explore while still being in a pen... but I don't want to take away their creek time. Any advice or ideas to keep them safe while not taking away their fun entirely?

 

[DuckyDonna]

I think if there are bald eagles in the area you could be providing a duck dinner for them if they are not fenced and netted! The chicken wire would probably keep out predators like eagles from the sky but it won't keep out coyotes, foxes, raccoons etc. from the ground. I'd think about 4' or so fencing of some strength and either chicken wire or netting over the top.

I lost my drake Daisy to a falcon last fall because I didn't have the area covered on top. We have lots of hawks circling around all the time and lots of woods and fields where all kinds of duck hungry critters live. I made the critical mistake of thinking that my ducks were big enough that the flying death squads wouldn't bother with them. I was dead wrong!

 

[CrystaBub]

Agree with DuckyDonna. I walk my ducks to the pond for swim time and stand over them until they are done then walk them back to their safe space. We have a bald eagle that circles overhead and I know he/she is just waiting for me to walk away one day so he/she can have a good meal. Not on my watch!

 

[storiesandglass]

Thanks, friends!! I have them in a fully predator proof pen overnight, but with the warmer weather I've been letting them free-range during the day (with and without supervision) but I've been feeling pretty nervous about it! Do you have any kind of a portable tractor for them? I think the pen-expansion needs to happen asap, they just need some more room I think!

 

[happy duck]

We have a bald eagle we have seen around and I am real worried about letting my ducks out because of it. Eagles will take ducks and even geese so I would put them in a hoop coop and if you want them to go to the creek...go with them and watch them till you put them back in the hoop coop.

 

[Quacking Pigeon]

I had a muscovy duckling killed by a bird of prey a month ago. But I don’t usually have ducks being taken by birds of prey, it’s quite rare. But foxes, they’ve taken a lot of my muscovy girls, and my 1st place Mallard duck. They’re nasty.

 

[KittyKat8828]

We keep our ducks in a large run when there are predators out. For hawks and the such we feed crows and have a large murder of them. They are territorial and will chase off all big birds that could eat our ducks. Since eagles are protected by law, there is nothing you can do except keep your ducks in a strong enclosed run while out side.

 

[Thunderduck9]

Well let me tell you our experience with Bald Eagles. the eagles we have are not afraid of anything they swoop at me they sit on the branches rite above me and challenge me they think its a game we watched one actually cut threw the 12 gauge wire fence.they will not give up I had one take a duck wile I was standing rite there two feet away.I had one take a baby goose also rite in front of me.I hate them they are PREDITORS. Good luck

 

[DuckyDonna]

We keep our ducks in a large run when there are predators out. For hawks and the such we feed crows and have a large murder of them. They are territorial and will chase off all big birds that could eat our ducks. Since eagles are protected by law, there is nothing you can do except keep your ducks in a strong enclosed run while out side.

we've got a lot of crows too. They are all over my yard but I never thought of feeding them. Do you throw out corn to get them to stick around? On another note, have you see the movie "A murder of crows"? It's a killer movie that hardly anyone has ever head of but totally worth seeing! I never knew that a "flock" of crows is actually called a "murder"!

 

[KittyKat8828]

we've got a lot of crows too. They are all over my yard but I never thought of feeding them. Do you throw out corn to get them to stick around? On another note, have you see the movie "A murder of crows"? It's a killer movie that hardly anyone has ever head of but totally worth seeing! I never knew that a "flock" of crows is actually called a "murder"!

They like our duck feed mixture of feed, birdseed mix, and corn. They also like our kiddie pool. You can train them to bring coins for food/treats. Wikihow has pages of these, that show step by step instructions. I have never heard of that movie but I will look into it!