[dkelly]

I had two ducklings hatch 3 weeks ago and unfortunatly one has been taken by i think a magpie, my husband heard a comotion and when he went out one duckling was gone and the mothers feathers were all over the floor. That was 2 & half weeks ago so the other duckling i have been keeping in doors as much as possible to avoid the same happening.  i am new to having ducks so am devastated that i dint know this could happen and feel i should have been able to do soething. i wonder if anyone can advise me on the best thing i can do as i know it is important for the duckling to still mix with the other ducks but i dont want him hurt as just this morning he was attacked and had blood on his head when i went out into the garden, a magpie was nearby when i went out.  can anyone suggest how i should handle this? do you think it is a magie doing the damage or something else? my garden is not massive and i have neighbours g :cry: ardens backing onto mine. i live in manchester.

[MontyTom]

hi.  sorry to hear about duckling.  buy/lend an air rifle and shoot every magpie you see (safely).  they will soon get the message, if any are left!  good luck

[richyrich7]

Sounds very much like a maggie.

Magpie's are a scourge on poultry keepers, Like Monty says shoot them all, not long ago their was a post on here where they were going into a hen coup and stealing eggs  :evil:


Sad fact of life is a duckling or any other young bird, is fair game to them and crows

Welcome to the forum by the way.

[Parrot]

Sorry for your loss.    There is no way to avoid predation from corvids and gulls other than to keep the mother and brood in a covered run until the ducklings are of a size that would prove too much to carry.   Unfortunately free range ducklings would appear to suffer pretty heavy losses.  

[dkelly]

thanks for all of your replies, well im going to continue keeping little jack the duckling in doors as much as possible as am not letting those horrible magpies have him! great idea to shoot them by the way! Hopefully he will grow big and stronger over the next few weeks then i can put him back out. Do you think the other ducks will hurt him if i keep them seperate from them for too long and then try to put him in their pen?