[Danaus29]

Yes, mice can spread disease but I don't think it's anything that will harm your ducks.

Ducks dig holes in dirt and mud looking for insects and other tasty tidbits. They also get the grit they need to digest their food from dabbling in the dirt. Poultry needs grit in their gizzards to help break down food so they can get the nutrients from it. Corn is harder to break down so they instinctively dig through the dirt to find little pieces of rock which collect in the gizzard and grind against the food to break it down so it can be digested. It's a pretty neat system.

What are you feeding your ducks? Corn isn't the best food for them. It has a lot of calories but not a lot of nutrients.

I believe in trying to keep the pest population under control. Eliminate the spilled food problem and get rid of the mice. Either get or make some duck proof mouse traps to keep the rodents under control.

 

[Danaus29]

Learn something new every day.

Apparently there are several diseases rodents can pass to chickens including a possibilty of avian influenza. This article doesn't say what diseases or mention ducks.

Rodent Control in and Around Backyard Chicken Coops

Home, landscape, and structural pest news from the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program

ucanr.edu

I knew about hantivirus and the roll mice play in the spread of Lyme disease. I think the mice present more of a disease danger to you than to the ducks.

 

[Danaus29]

Pekin ducks are large enough to eat mice.

If you want some hillarious entertainment set up a bucket trap for mice, complete with a bit of water in the bucket (no antifreeze or anything other than water in the bucket) then dump the dead mice out for the ducks. It may take them a few minutes but eventually a duck will grab a dead mouse and a game of keep-away begins.

I saw my Muscovy ducks catch a mouse once. That mouse didn't stand a chance.