I need a little help deciding what to do. I lost 2 ducks (Pekins) today to some predator....not sure what yet....but now I need to decide what to do. I now have 1 Cayuga (lost one to a turtle), 5 Khaki Campbells, and 4 Pekins. I can only assume that I will lose more before next summer. Do I order some more ducks to make up for the current/future losses....or do I just wait until next year? I'd hate to get down to even 7 or 8....
I even thought about getting a couple guineas.....if they're not "too" loud...but maybe that would save some ducks next time??
What do ya'll think???
oh - and I believe I only have 1 male left (Khaki Campbell)....and I currently still have 10 ducks....though it doesn't seem like it!
Now what.....
Are your ducks far from the house? Is there power where they are? If it is happening at night (most likely a fox) you can put two tiny red lights that look like eyes in the grass. (Preaditors don't like to go where another already is) They sell a solar set up in Back Yard Poultry Magazine. A motion detector light will also help, but the ducks tend to set these off too. I set one up for a visiting bob cat and I don't know if it scared him off or it was me going out to check every time the light came on and woke me up. But he took off after a few nights. Fox don't like lights coming on either. I had a double light motion detector and in one of the light sockets, I plugged in a radio, so the light AND the radio came on. That even got deer out of my garden!
It's a little late to get more ducks in Michigan right now, unless you can find some already started. I have found ducks reproduce really well though, we got 13 out of our mom duck last year.
You can also set some live traps and see what you get. You can tell a lot about what too them by the evidence. A fox will seldome leave anything but a few feathers (if that). A bobcat leaves a few more and a coon leaves a real mess. SInce they were pekings, it would have to be something good sized, probably not an owl or possom. Good luck!
Well....one we found behind the house....by our deck....that one was pretty messy....feathers everywhere....and most of the beak was eaten along with everything down to the bone around the head & neck....along with some of the body. The other was on the other side of the pond....and had just looked as if something had started to get ready to eat her....but didn't get to flesh. She died about 5 minutes after I had gotten here. (we weren't home when this all happened).
Anyways - I guess my biggest concern is having only 1 Khaki Campbell Drake to 9 other females....I feel like I "need" another male or two......but not sure if it's really a "need".....
I like you idea of motion detector lights.....I'll be checking into that!!