This is our first year with poultry, and, although I thought we had done sufficient research and prepared properly, we were not ready for this.
We built a strong, protective habitat for our ducks with a latching door where they sleep for the night, We fenced in pen for them to roam around freely during the day. We even dug a small pond in their enclosure.
All of this was not enough to stop a bold and fearless bobcat from killing two of our ducks.
When the first one disappeared without a trace (while we where home with the windows open). We hypothesized that he found a way out of the enclosure and joined some of the many wild ducks and birds that wander around our ranch. But we were not sure of this, so we set up a video camera in the 'quack shack'. It was not long before our worst fears were realized.
Here is what we saw: (
).
Fortunately we were able to deal with the attacker quickly to avoid further losses (of course we keep the ducks safely inside the 'quack shack' until the danger was gone. (We tried live traps first, but he was way too smart for them, and snares seem much too cruel, so we finally delt with him as humanely as possible to protect our ducks)
In an attempt to lessen the sadness to our grandkids (and ourselves), we created a 'black comedy' tribute to Sir Francis Drake and his wife.
If you have ever experienced a loss due to a predator, (even if not) join us on our website for a somber smile: The Murder Of Sir Francis & Mrs Drake
Here are some useful bobcat facts:
1. They are called 'bobcats' because of their 'bobbed' tail.
2. Although they are related to the lynx, they differ in that they have smaller feet, less fur around the ears and neck and can jump very high. This one jumped 3 4' fences and the 2 1/2' enclosure.
3. Male bobcats are very territorial covering an area of up to 5 sq miles, spraying the area as a warning to others. If another male enters his territory they will fight to the death. This is why relocation is not an option, nearly anywhere you relocate a bobcat would be a death sentence, This also gives us a little time before another male will realize that the territory surrounding us is now available.
4. Bobcats are thought to be nocturnal, however both of the attacks we experienced happened in broad daylight mid-morning. We even caught up to him during the day.
5. They usually are about 2 feet in length but this one was 3 feet long and 2 feet tall.
6. They normally will avoid humans, but are not always intimidated by our scent and can be very aggressive and quite vicious (as you can see). Regardless of their level of fear THEY ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD NOT BE APPROACHED.
7. The seemingly most effective way to deter attacks from them (and other predators) is to set up a perimeter sprinkler system that is triggered by motion. This will startle them and scare them off.
We have added chickens to our ranch this year and will report back on the effectiveness of the sprinkler alarm.
We built a strong, protective habitat for our ducks with a latching door where they sleep for the night, We fenced in pen for them to roam around freely during the day. We even dug a small pond in their enclosure.
All of this was not enough to stop a bold and fearless bobcat from killing two of our ducks.
When the first one disappeared without a trace (while we where home with the windows open). We hypothesized that he found a way out of the enclosure and joined some of the many wild ducks and birds that wander around our ranch. But we were not sure of this, so we set up a video camera in the 'quack shack'. It was not long before our worst fears were realized.
Here is what we saw: (
Fortunately we were able to deal with the attacker quickly to avoid further losses (of course we keep the ducks safely inside the 'quack shack' until the danger was gone. (We tried live traps first, but he was way too smart for them, and snares seem much too cruel, so we finally delt with him as humanely as possible to protect our ducks)
In an attempt to lessen the sadness to our grandkids (and ourselves), we created a 'black comedy' tribute to Sir Francis Drake and his wife.
If you have ever experienced a loss due to a predator, (even if not) join us on our website for a somber smile: The Murder Of Sir Francis & Mrs Drake
Here are some useful bobcat facts:
1. They are called 'bobcats' because of their 'bobbed' tail.
2. Although they are related to the lynx, they differ in that they have smaller feet, less fur around the ears and neck and can jump very high. This one jumped 3 4' fences and the 2 1/2' enclosure.
3. Male bobcats are very territorial covering an area of up to 5 sq miles, spraying the area as a warning to others. If another male enters his territory they will fight to the death. This is why relocation is not an option, nearly anywhere you relocate a bobcat would be a death sentence, This also gives us a little time before another male will realize that the territory surrounding us is now available.
4. Bobcats are thought to be nocturnal, however both of the attacks we experienced happened in broad daylight mid-morning. We even caught up to him during the day.
5. They usually are about 2 feet in length but this one was 3 feet long and 2 feet tall.
6. They normally will avoid humans, but are not always intimidated by our scent and can be very aggressive and quite vicious (as you can see). Regardless of their level of fear THEY ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD NOT BE APPROACHED.
7. The seemingly most effective way to deter attacks from them (and other predators) is to set up a perimeter sprinkler system that is triggered by motion. This will startle them and scare them off.
We have added chickens to our ranch this year and will report back on the effectiveness of the sprinkler alarm.
