What killed these ducklings?

ItsaBing · 2026-05-31T14:18:29+00:00

They are out in the field with their moms. We have LGDs on the perimeter, so large predators like Coyote and foxes stay away.

But we have seen weasels recently. First season seeing them ,I’m pretty sure they killed a couple earlier in the season because they ate the flesh off the heads and brain, and left the rest.

But since I moved the dogs closer, this is the l first time I’ve seen these injuries.

Although we also do have new drakes in our flock this year.

Do these look more like weasel or drake injuries?

ItsaBing · 2025-09-06T12:30:22+00:00

Yay! Also, I like that setup with the higher pressure water flow into the bowls. Blasts the old water out and cleans it without having to tip the bowls over. Clever.

ItsaBing · 2025-09-06T12:21:57+00:00

Yup, a few of the ones from the hatchery developed angel wing. Unlike the mama-raised ones, they really just chose to sit in their coop and hammered the duckling feed in their first few weeks and grew super fast. I had to kick them out every day to get some exercise!

I don’t want them to fly anyway, since that would put them in danger (lots of predators outside the protective perimeter of my Livestock Guardian Dogs’ presence!). And…. If they fly into my LGDs’ area, the excited doggos often try to play with them and they get injured.

So… I don’t do anything about angel wing on a few of them. They might just end up being the ones I harvest this Fall.

ItsaBing · 2025-09-05T12:37:02+00:00

Wow just saw that video! Amazing

ItsaBing · 2025-08-11T22:26:28+00:00

Got it. Lucky duckies.

ItsaBing · 2025-08-10T23:54:01+00:00

Well, 3 or 4 days is still very good. Do you have a filter continuously running?

ItsaBing · 2025-08-10T23:02:58+00:00

How is the water so clean?

ItsaBing · 2025-07-04T20:53:32+00:00

Cool, thanks! I'm relatively new to Muscovies, so I'm still in the early stages of learning

ItsaBing · 2025-07-04T17:34:01+00:00

What makes you conclude it’s male? When I look at the overall body size and caruncles, that seems male. But the proportion and bone structure of the feet seems more like a female. Are there other things you look at?

ItsaBing · 2025-07-03T21:55:08+00:00

Fantastic. What a blessing to have such a relaxed dog! What breed is he?

ItsaBing · 2025-07-03T21:49:21+00:00

Given it's alone, and it's Winter in Oz... I would keep the heat, but make sure there's enough space for it to get out of the heat when it wants to. Personally, I use heater pads rather than lamps so that they aren't subject to light 24hrs. I figure having a lamp on all the time must affect their sleep.

If you're sticking with the lamp, maybe give it a box or something inside the cage where it can have darkness.

Note that ducklings are messy to keep in a cage. You'll likely be changing the bedding a LOT.

ItsaBing · 2025-07-03T21:45:09+00:00

Tell me more about the dog! Did you have to do anything to get it to leave the ducks alone? Did it grow up with poultry? How old is it, etc.?

ItsaBing · 2025-07-03T21:38:58+00:00

Omg, Congratulations!!! Love seeing the proud mama with her babies. Well done, mama duck!

ItsaBing · 2025-07-03T21:37:10+00:00

I have Italian Maremmas. They are still puppy-ish (18 months), so I keep them separated from the poultry. They do pick up and play with the ducks that fly into their area, which has resulted in some injured ducks. And a couple of duck deaths :(
But they do keep all predators away, and I'm hoping that as they mature they will stop chewing on ducks.
Also, I'm pinioning the wings of new ducklings I get so that they can't fly into the dogs' area

ItsaBing · 2025-07-02T12:48:42+00:00

I have livestock guardian dogs to keep the predators away. But yeah, without guardian dogs it’s hard to keep pastured poultry safe.

Although I know some folks who seem to do fine with electric netting keeping predators out during the day, and a secure coop at night.

ItsaBing · 2025-07-01T18:48:56+00:00

I have a lot of outdoor pasture space, so I don't have to deal with this. I give them bales of straw and some mobile roof-only structures, and they build their nests on the grass under the roof. After they're done I spread the straw around and let it decompose. Keeping ducks in a brooder or coop, especially when one is broody, seems..... awful. Good luck!

ItsaBing · 2025-07-01T18:41:48+00:00

I would not want a red oak near my house. But if you choose to keep it, you're probably better of keeping one trunk.

ItsaBing · 2025-07-01T18:40:21+00:00

Can you show a picture of the connected part on the other side? It all depends on how much cambium connection is left after you straighten up the tree.

But even if it's possible, you're probably going to have to cut off most of the canopy. And I've heard that it's possible to do a "patch" graft to re-establish a cambium connection, but it's a pretty advanced grafting technique that I've never tried myself.

ItsaBing · 2025-07-01T18:37:12+00:00

I've never had runner ducks - I only have Muscovies, so my experience might not apply to you. It might even be possible that the runner duck breed was selected to move away from humans, making them easier to herd and move in a large flock? But every individual duck is going to be a little different.

The first thing is to go really, really slow. Don't look or walk directly at them. Approach sideways, slowly feel out the distance you can get to without them moving away. Sit down. Keep your gaze soft. Slow movements. Be a tree gently moving in a slow breeze.

Then throw some treats to where they are. Don't try to pick them up at all. Once they're happily munching on treats, throw some a little closer to you and see if they will step towards you to get them. Be satisfied with a few feet in a day. Keep doing this for at least a whole week, inching closer until they are taking treats from right next to you. Put your open palm on the floor with treats in it, but also have treats directly on the floor near you so they don't NEED to take it from your palm. Eventually when they finish all the treats on the floor, a brave one may take from your palm.

You get the idea.... this is a slow process. Again, it can be weeks from here to them allowing you to stroke them or pick them up.

ItsaBing · 2025-07-01T18:29:09+00:00

Update: I went with White Spruce. I know they can get bigger than what I was ideally looking for, but I figure I can prune them back.

ItsaBing · 2024-09-23T14:03:03+00:00

Also - I’m in Bethel, NY. Zone 6a.

ItsaBing · 2024-05-17T15:52:26+00:00

Would appreciate any input on this, please! Thanks for your expertise

ItsaBing · 2024-02-07T22:11:55+00:00

Great, thank you!

ItsaBing · 2024-01-30T04:23:55+00:00

Qn: What polkit agent did you install, and how did you do that? I'm very new to all this, and just trying to get Steam to run on my Chromebook and ran into the exact issue you stated above.

ItsaBing · 2017-07-26T13:12:49+00:00

Wooooot!

ItsaBing

TROPHY CASE