# call ducks killing ducklings



## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

hey im trying to get some info for a friend, her call ducks had 4 ducklings however have managed to kill two. should the remaining to be removed from the mother and placed in a pen, if so should it be away from the mother or where the ducklings can see or be by the mother. the parent ducks are now two years old is this part of the problem. any help would be great many thanks tim .


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Are these the only ducks she has??


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## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

yep she only has a pair of call ducks and now the ducklings.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Are there any foxes etc hanging around???


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## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

not that i know of but she does live in a town so there would be some around.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

how have they killed them? how do you know it was the parents and not rats?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

pigglywiggly said:


> how have they killed them? how do you know it was the parents and not rats?


Thats what i was thinking. Or perhaps they were trampled when the parents got scared at a predator


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## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

hmm i know they were trampled on. im i right in thinking its because the parents go scared then and not just stupidly walked over the little things. it happened last year as well.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

timothy said:


> hmm i know they were trampled on. im i right in thinking its because the parents go scared then and not just stupidly walked over the little things. it happened last year as well.


I would say that is the best bet. There is a fox or something coming at night and spooking them therefore the parents are accidently trampling the babies in panic


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## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

ok thank you i will pass on the message. is there anything i can do about this then?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

timothy said:


> ok thank you i will pass on the message. is there anything i can do about this then?


Fox proof fencing or put them in a shed at night


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

how are they housed?

they need to be shut in a nice dark secure rat and fox proof shed or house at night.
call ducks dont really go in for infanticide....they make really attentive parents usually.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

pigglywiggly said:


> how are they housed?
> 
> they need to be shut in a nice dark secure rat and fox proof shed or house at night.
> call ducks dont really go in for infanticide....they make really attentive parents usually.


Thats what i thought was wierd. Iv never had a problem with Call ducks they are usually fantastic parents.


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## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

there housed over night in a coop which is fox proof , rat proof and dark. during the day they are let out into the garden and then at night they will be led easily into the coop. should they be put in pen in the day?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

timothy said:


> there housed over night in a coop which is fox proof , rat proof and dark. during the day they are let out into the garden and then at night they will be led easily into the coop. should they be put in pen in the day?


Were the ducklings killed during the night or day


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## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

all during the day.


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

I've seen magpies pick off ducklings before now. I'd keep them penned until they're a little bigger, otherwise I'd rear them in a brooder if it's a persistent problem.


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## timothy (Feb 15, 2010)

ok many thanks. tim


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

if crows/magpies/cats/rats/foxes are after the babies the parents can trample them in their panic to try and protect them.

tbh they should be in a secure run till they`re independant, a big rabbit run will do.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

We always pen young ducklings to stop this from happening. Its always better to be safe than sorry. We do let them out but only if someones watching them


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

someone local to me had a pair of white farm geese and their babies get mashed by the crows every year.
their owner is a bit clueless and thinks theres something wrong with the geese :bash:


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

pigglywiggly said:


> someone local to me had a pair of white farm geese and their babies get mashed by the crows every year.
> their owner is a bit clueless and thinks theres something wrong with the geese :bash:


We had moorhen chicks attacked by herons


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

I came home from a day out to find my pheasant chicks dead and scattered around their enclosure.I had no suspicions about the very reliable bantam mother they were being reared by.The pen was double wired and slabbed but close inspection revealed a small round hole dug out from the small soiled gaps between the slabs.The hole was under the food container.I thought the hole was to small for a rat and must be a weasel or stoat.I set a spring trap for rats and a cage trap for anything else it might be.It was an adult rat and I still find it amazing that it came through such a small space and was clever enough to conceal the entrance.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i had the a similar thing a few years ago in my pekin arks.
polecat was sneaking in from an underground tunnel and ripping the heads off my banties.

i set a live catch and caught her, she was covered in big fat ticks and went to ferret rescue.


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## ryan1991 (Jul 4, 2011)

pigglywiggly said:


> i had the a similar thing a few years ago in my pekin arks.
> polecat was sneaking in from an underground tunnel and ripping the heads off my banties.
> 
> i set a live catch and caught her, she was covered in big fat ticks and went to ferret rescue.


awww thats nice not to kill it


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

why would i shoot her for doing what polecats do?

surely its my fault for not putting the banties breeding arks on concrete and keeping them safe?

foxes/rats/wild rabbits are different though, they have to go in the bin.


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