I'm in serious trouble need advice ASAP

[jdywntr]

Here, you can rent traps from the county animal services department. Maybe try calling the humane society or animal shelter or whoever is in charge of stray dogs etc that you have up there and see if they can refer you to someone.

 

[Going Quackers]

Sorry to hear about this again. I think hot wire for fencing is like 4" then 8" etc. You can go to TSC site and search for eletric fence and they have an instructional thing for different species. I know that there are horses there but are they yours? If I owned the property that we are on I would have built a duck house in the middle of the pasture and allow a donkey or 2 to roam around the whole thing. I don't know if horses are as anti-predator as donkeys are though.

Is there a way (and if big enough) for you to make them an area inside of your dog pen so that your dogs can get around the entire duck area in the middle? That should deter most predators, just having your dogs there. Though I have read of packs of coyotes where one will distract a LGD and another will enter the area and attack an animal. Storey's Guide has a plan for electric fencing for foxes. Don't recall if it's the chicken or duck version.

The horses are ours but they won't really guard like donkey's do. The dog yard while roomy isn't really big enough to take that many birds plus the dogs, also we already built the chicken coop in there and have a deck for the BBQ lol

I do have storey's guide to ducks, i'll go see what it says, thanks.

I know some folks on here have bought the poultry fencing from Premier 1 you can get solar or elec. box for the hot wire. I think it's pretty expensive though. Might put up regular welded wire and run a hot wire around bottom and top, since i don't have hot wire i really don't know what is the best way to go about it.

Yeah, were looking into multiple options.. i may find out if a club can put me in contact with someone who can take 19 'scovies while we fix something but i worry about stressing the birds.. it's a closed flock too.. sigh.

 

[Going Quackers]

Here, you can rent traps from the county animal services department. Maybe try calling the humane society or animal shelter or whoever is in charge of stray dogs etc that you have up there and see if they can refer you to someone.

Yes, i'll give that a try.

 

[jdywntr]

The horses are ours but they won't really guard like donkey's do. The dog yard while roomy isn't really big enough to take that many birds plus the dogs, also we already built the chicken coop in there and have a deck for the BBQ lol

I do have storey's guide to ducks, i'll go see what it says, thanks.

I checked and it's in the chicken one. LOL
" string electrified scare wires along the top and outside bottom, 8 inches away from your fence. The top wire keeps critters from climbing over, and the bottom wire discourages them from snooping along the fence, pushing against it, or attempting to dig under it."

 

[Roxannemc]

Could be, i dunno.. i need to find out who i get ahold of around here to get a trap for that sort of predator. I have no idea where it's den would be... i guess i need to learn a bit more about foxes? How does one hot wire for birds? i mean they can duck under lol i have enough silly drakes who try that with the horse paddock..

This may not be true but i read that most wild animals eat the prey at the spot whereas dogs take it away as its a game.Since you just found feathers maybe its a dog?or a really big BIRD..Eagle?
Of course as was said if a fox has kits she may take it to them to tear up themselves

 

[Going Quackers]

I checked and it's in the chicken one. LOL
" string electrified scare wires along the top and outside bottom, 8 inches away from your fence. The top wire keeps critters from climbing over, and the bottom wire discourages them from snooping along the fence, pushing against it, or attempting to dig under it."

Thank you.

This may not be true but i read that most wild animals eat the prey at the spot whereas dogs take it away as its a game.Since you just found feathers maybe its a dog?or a really big BIRD..Eagle?
Of course as was said if a fox has kits she may take it to them to tear up themselves

Well, i'll tell you it had to be a mammoth fox to carry off a 1yo Muscovy drake, we are carrying the birds into the dogs yard to avoid anyone getting loose and well.. you ever fight with a 'scovy drake? it's a 12-15 bird with almost 1in(maybe they are an inch.. real long regardless) nails and massive powerful wings. The 1yo that was the first to disappear we found feathers in the field for many, many feet.. heck it was 50ft(or more) to where it was grabbed and then taken to the field. My 3mth old was even closer to the home so add at least another 10-15ft ...

I'm so exhausted, my younger daughter stood guard at the back door porch in the rain with an umbrella over her with a laptop(typically teen lol) watching the birds in the yard last night while i went out.. it's crazy, i tell you. I'm going to be forced to reduce the majority of the flock because i cannot provide a decent enough sized pen to house so many birds of this size, i'm so sad.. our entire plan, set-up has been ruined in a matter of days.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you.

Well, i'll tell you it had to be a mammoth fox to carry off a 1yo Muscovy drake, we are carrying the birds into the dogs yard to avoid anyone getting loose and well.. you ever fight with a 'scovy drake? it's a 12-15 bird with almost 1in(maybe they are an inch.. real long regardless) nails and massive powerful wings. The 1yo that was the first to disappear we found feathers in the field for many, many feet.. heck it was 50ft(or more) to where it was grabbed and then taken to the field. My 3mth old was even closer to the home so add at least another 10-15ft ...

I'm so exhausted, my younger daughter stood guard at the back door porch in the rain with an umbrella over her with a laptop(typically teen lol) watching the birds in the yard last night while i went out.. it's crazy, i tell you. I'm going to be forced to reduce the majority of the flock because i cannot provide a decent enough sized pen to house so many birds of this size, i'm so sad.. our entire plan, set-up has been ruined in a matter of days.

It is very sad and not a nice way of having to deal with extra drakes no matter what anyone says, We had a hawk swoop in yesterday right close to the house the only thing that saved everyone was our roosters, always vigilant gave the warning call and everyone ran for cover. I hope you can come to a good out come when finding homes for your extra drakes, They are awesome birds and make great additions to farm and home. Just a sad reason for having for having to do it.

 

[Going Quackers]

It is very sad and not a nice way of having to deal with extra drakes no matter what anyone says, We had a hawk swoop in yesterday right close to the house the only thing that saved everyone was our roosters, always vigilant gave the warning call and everyone ran for cover. I hope you can come to a good out come when finding homes for your extra drakes, They are awesome birds and make great additions to farm and home. Just a sad reason for having for having to do it.

Thank you, yes it's not how i wanted to slim down the flock and even more so to have to completely rearrange the way we keep the ducks.

That is scary about the hawk, we have some good sized ones here but they have plenty of regular prey to get here, plus 'scovies being larger helps, part of the reason i chose the larger breed.. we have no one to make noise.. wish they could talk er for a few mins to let us know what happened.

It was pouring rain again this morning which i know the crops need but i sure as heck did not, a crumbling down old snow fence with a ton of birds to move by hand, second day soaked to the skin. We even had two escape but we got them back in... They all seem ok now.. we have a ton of pools in there and feeders, plus for now there is grass to forage in..