[quiet mountain farmer]

We lost nearly all our hens to a bobcat feast. :no: The rest are locked up now. But we have no way to lock up our ducks and geese. Will a bobcat kill a duck, with loud and aggresive geese living with them?

 

[RoyalOaksRanch]

We lost nearly all our hens to a bobcat feast. :no: The rest are locked up now. But we have no way to lock up our ducks and geese. Will a bobcat kill a duck, with loud and aggresive geese living with them?

Yep it sure will, and it will eat the goos too if he can... Best thing to do is fence them in a yard. or shoot the bobcat...
My neighbor lost ALL his geese and all but one of his chickens to a bobcat, and a **** too. I swear if it isnt one critter its another LOL

 

[Guest]

I imagine a bobcat would eat just about anything if it's hungry enough and given the chance. Maybe if your geese are aggressive enough and there are enough geese that will attack the bobcat from all sides, confusing it. But that's a big if. Right now, its 15 below zero and my duck flock has moved into one of my hen houses. The main drake decided it was warmer in there and moved everyone in. I admit, my duck shed is drafty. They seem to get along pretty well. I did lean a large piece of wood against the wall so some of them have some place to hide in case things get too hectic. Could you move your ducks and geese in with your hens? If you have roosts for your chickens, they will stay up and out of the ducks and geese way. Becky

 

[prhamell]

That was me who just replied. Sorry, forgot to log in. Becky

 

[Guest]

Everything eats ducks!!! Unless you make a place to close them in at night they will be hors d' oeuvres for anything that comes along and so will the geese. It's just common sense. You made a henhouse, why not quarters for your waterfowl? LQ

 

[Oxankle]

A gaggle of unprotected geese trying to shepherd a flock of icebound ducks is a Bobcat's idea of heaven.

Either kill the bobcats and the ***** or lock up your waterfowl. I lost birds constantly, especially guineas, for three years here. Got a worthless dog, a biscuit eating border collie who thinks she is a people, and I have not lost a bird to a predator now in over a year. In the first three years here I killed more possum and skunk than I can count, two bobcats and a pickup load of *****. Have not had that problem since. I'm sure they are here, but they go way around this place.
Ox

 

[quiet mountain farmer]

Oh, no. We're cleaning out a storage shed now for them. They're in a fenced yard up against the house with a spotlight on them, but our ravine is just beyond... :no: I guess I should have known ... but at least I learned from you guys in time!

 

[Guest]

Good luck with them AMF. It is a hard thing isn't it to lose birds. Be sure the shed is predator proof or you are just setting them up for a buffet. Hope all goes well for you. If you check the archives here I think you will find many discussions on training the waterfowl to put themselves to bed at night and all you have to do is to close the door. Hang in there.... LQ

 

[Jolly]

A full grown bobcat can kill and eat a full grown deer, according to the local state wildlife biologist.

I would imagine a duck, or a whole passel of them, would be short work indeed.

Although last time I lost several rabbits, it turned out to be *****, of all things...

 

[Guest]

I lost a bunch of chickens and a couple of ducks to a bobcat that easily jumped an 8' fence. I started locking the chickens up at night but the ducks stayed on their pond all night (we're in the SW where it doesn't get too cold at night). It is just a big round metal tank about 8' across and it was too hard for the bobcat to reach out and get them, most of the time. The ducks would just swim to the side away from the bobcat. When I finally got a electric wire around the top of the pen, the bobcat hit it and hasn't been back.

 

[BeckyW]

We used to live in a mountain community in central California. Electric fences do help alot. If you're truly up in the mountains especially bordering open space, the supply of bobcats is nearly endless, same with raccoons (nasty little critters).
Be sure that if your shed isn't on a cement foundation to protect it from raccoons digging in. Easiest way is to dig a narrow but very deep trench right up against the shed. Then staple small grid heavy wire mesh to the shed and push it down into the trench. Then bury the mesh. Do this all the way around, even below the door. It also keeps snakes out.
BW

 

[Guest]

You don't have to go to all that work, as far as burying fence etc, to keep critters from digging in. Actually the worst problem with the digging in are dogs. However, just laying the fencing down(we use 2X4" welded wire)on the ground(for keeping poulty safe)butted up against the sides of your pen will do the trick. Animals don't know to back up and dig..they will go right to the base of the pen and try and dig in. When we build pens here("we", meaning the Wildlife Homecare Network)for rehabbing we use 48" wire and place it on the ground with half in and half out as we are usually containing some of those predators that you are talking about.

Also, it's cougar that prefer deer for a diet. The Bobcat only measures about 24 inches long(discounting the tail)and the closely related Lynx is just a bit bigger. Normal diet for these cats is rabbits and hare along with small rodents, but as noted above they will eat just about anything they can to stay alive, even bats if they can catch them(this info is from stomach contents from hundreds of animals killed over a number of years). It behooves us to just take the simple precautions of protecting our birds(duhh, how hard is that, LOL)and not worry about it.

I live in a heavily forested area, on a river. and commonly see predator sign of most species found in the US(including bear, cougar, other wildcats, coyote, fox, raptors,you name it) and have never lost a duck to a predator. It's just not that hard to protect them. If we spent more time thinking ahead we'd not be out killing the animals that keep down the really dangerous creatures like mice, rats etc. LQ

 

[Lou]

Will a bobcat kill a duck, with loud and aggresive geese living with them?

YES!!!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

Duh, of course the will.