will cats kill ducks?

Anonymous-0 · Feb 14, 2014

Something is killing my full grown muscovie ducks. I have never seen a cat take a big duck but two were found dead up on a roost in the grainery and they had been eaten on so whatever got them had to climb and usually a mink doesn't eat on them unless a mink is killing them and the cats are finding them, we can't find any tracks.

glennster · Feb 14, 2014

prolly either a racoon or bobcat. muscovy is a pretty strong duck, i dont think a house cat would go after one.

ShadetreeRet · Feb 14, 2014

Got 'possums? They will kill and eat, or partially eat chickens, probably any fowl.

BigRedA · Feb 14, 2014

Anonymous-0 · Feb 14, 2014

What is the damage to the duck? Possums generally start eating at the back end...

hd6gtom · Feb 14, 2014

Yes a big ol Tom Cat will, 22 fixes the prob.

da.bees · Feb 14, 2014

Are you saying it appeared they were killed up on thier roost in the grainery or killed outside then carried up onto a roost in the grainery?

fixerupper · Feb 14, 2014

(quoted from post at 06:44:21 02/14/14) Something is killing my full grown muscovie ducks. I have never seen a cat take a big duck but two were found dead up on a roost in the grainery and they had been eaten on so whatever got them had to climb and usually a mink doesn't eat on them unless a mink is killing them and the cats are finding them, we can't find any tracks.

e had Muscovies when I was a kid and I don't remember them roosting. When they were young they could fly but after they reached a year old or so they didn't leave the ground anymore. They were a tough bird. Jim

notjustair · Feb 14, 2014

Coons carry things up high to eat.

Geo-TH,In · Feb 14, 2014

Don't know about cats, but I've seen a large mouth bass eat a duckling. If someone would have told me that bass eat ducks I would think they were a bubble off.

Michael Soldan · Feb 14, 2014

Not for a second do I believe a cat did that. A weasel,raccoon,maybe an opossum are far more likely culprits. In terms of cat behavior,they tend to kill on the ground,their prey is usually smaller than they are and a Muskovie duck would give a barn cat a hell of a battle,the chances of a cat dragging a full sized duck up onto a roost is an impossibility..not a cat

Wheat Farmer · Feb 14, 2014

No tracks = big bird.

Mike M · Feb 14, 2014

Got any Bobcats where you are ?

Mountain lions ?

Yes cats are killers !

Rick Kr · Feb 14, 2014

I have quite a few muscovies at my place for years. Only problem has been a mink, he gets one per year. He gets a full grown duck and only tears up the "crop" neck and leaves the rest of the bird.

Full grown muscovies can be 10 lbs. I cant see a cat dragging one up to a roost. A predator bird?? it must be a really big bird. A great horned owl and red tail hawk that are always around will not touch the adults. In the spring its a different story with the ducklings, they have a field day.

Just my experience so far.

Rick

Dave H (MI) · Feb 14, 2014

You didn't say drake or hen? Hen....maybe but I really doubt it. Drake...no way in he!!. I would like to see your average cat try to pull that one off. Anyone who believes it has never tried to pick up a Muscovy duck. They can out claw any cat and are good at self defense. We have a lot of Muscovy on free range and also keep Calls, Magpies and Appleyards that are in open pens. Hawks can take the smaller ducks but it rarely happens with the dogs and geese around, but back to Muscovys. Racoons never kill the drakes but sometimes kill hens and they will carry them up into trees to feed. Horned owls will take Gunieas right out of the trees so I don't think a hen Muscovy would be a problem unless she was a heavier one. My money is on the coon.

Charlie M · Feb 14, 2014

Maybe a fox? I had one kill a nasty goose one year so they will get birds no matter how nasty they are.

Dick2 · Feb 14, 2014

Sounds like it could be a weasel. We had those around the farm back when there was a fur maket; I used to make my spending money trapping those. Weasels love fowl of any kind.

Traditional Farmer · Feb 14, 2014

Anonymous-0 · Feb 14, 2014

The two hens that were found have been roosting up high. My son called the dnr and they think weasel. They said a weasel will eat on them but a mink goes for blood, they had been eaten on. The coons haven't been out, too cold here,there are no bobcats around here.

Bret4207 · Feb 15, 2014

(quoted from post at 08:31:32 02/14/14) Not for a second do I believe a cat did that. A weasel,raccoon,maybe an opossum are far more likely culprits. In terms of cat behavior,they tend to kill on the ground,their prey is usually smaller than they are and a Muskovie duck would give a barn cat a hell of a battle,the chances of a cat dragging a full sized duck up onto a roost is an impossibility..not a cat

I disagree. I've seen feral cats kill full grown chickens. A duck isn't that much different, so I think it's possible. But more likely it's a coon.

A weasel wouldn't drag it up into the rafters.

Texasmark1 · Feb 15, 2014

A bass will eat anything he thinks he can get in his mouth including birds. I saw one smack a blackbird one time. Bird was on a small limb getting a drink. The bass lunged out of the water, over the limb bird in mouth and back into the water in a flash. Was over before it started.

I have also found feathers in bass stomachs looking to see what they had eaten to help me get the right bait.

Mark

ericlb · Feb 15, 2014

thats a new one on me somebody post a pic of these ducks all we have around here are the standard mallards not to big, and far too skittish for a cat to get them
ine seen one of our barn cats catch 2 different snakes and kill them and eat it one was a 3+ footer pretty big for a cat

will cats kill ducks?

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