Can and Do Raccoons Kill Ducks? Myth Or Truth

Do Raccoons Hunt and Eat Ducks? Are Racoons Natural Duck Predators? The Simple Answer is Yes, Raccoons can kill ducks. They love to hunt vulnerable animals. Moreover, they can kill any type of duck they encounter. However, raccoons do not have a strong attack mechanism. Therefore, some ducks can survive. 

Raccoons are very docile animals due to their size and appearance. However, they are very clever and can be dangerous for small creatures like small birds, chickens, puppies, and kittens.

Nowadays many duck owners complain about raccoon attacks. Therefore, to protect them, you can buy protective doors and cages. These will keep your ducks safe. 

How Do Raccoons Kill Ducks?

Mostly, raccoons kill ducks with their claws. They insert the claws through the wire spaces and kill the duck. Even if they are closed in the cage, raccoons can attack ducks

Most humans have ducks on their farms, backyards, and homes. Moreover, raccoons can be found nearby, which is dangerous for ducks.

Raccoons and ducks are omnivores. This means that they can eat meat and plants. However, raccoons are stronger than ducks. Therefore, they can kill the ducks easily. Also, their attack mechanism is better than ducks.

On the other hand, ducks do not have good defence mechanisms. This makes them vulnerable and weaker. 

To get into details, here’s how a raccoon kills a duck –

1. Raccoon enters the cage
2. By using the claws, it attacks to most vulnerable duck
3. The injured duck becomes unable to do anything. Therefore raccoon manages to escape with it
4. The raccoon eats the duck after killing it. 

Do Raccoons Really Eat Ducks?

Yes, absolutely. They kill the ducks to ultimately eat them. as raccoons are omnivores, they love to eat meat, veggies, and fruits. 

However, ducks are always at risk because raccoons love ducks as their meal.

Also, there are certain nutritional needs that are fulfilled through duck meat. No other source can provide those nutritional values. 

How To Tell What Killed My Duck?

According to welphatchery.com, there are various animals and their ways to kill your duck.

Here are some of the most common predators of ducks and their way of killing. 

16 Top Duck Predators list

Animal	Details
Raccoon	Eats a small bird in one go. Eats only breasts only. Takes the head sometimes. Squeezes through the openings and uses paws to remove birds. Love to eat eggs.
Bobcat	Chickens on the west coast are enemies Commonly attack ranged Turkeys
Skunk	Loves garbage, eggs, and dead carcasses. Digs out buried eggs. Easy to trap.
Domestic cat	Only a few cases of poultry eating. Only legs and wings are left. Catches near the entries.
opossums	Eats inside out. Leave bones behind. Hunt at night.
Coyote	Not very sharp in entering into poultry farms. Easy to trap.
Fisher	Kill and store the food. Return back to eat it. Problem found only in East Coast.
Hawk	Bothers ranged poultry. Eat whole bird at once. Hunt in daylight.
Dog	Torn down the wires. Can kill multiple. Take the dead bird home and eat.
Mink	Hunt on smaller poultry. Excretes acrid that remains in the air for hours.
Fox	Eats the whole bird. Hunt during the day and night. Can travel ½ mile to junt. Difficult to catch.
Owl	Especially Great Horned Owl. Take the head off of ducks. Hunt a single animal at once. Can enter through 1 ft square openings.
Turtles	Attacks waterfowl im open water. Occasionally attacks larger ducks. Love to hunt ducklings and goslings.
Wolf	Considers birds as an easy-spicy hunt. Can hunt multiple animals at once.
Rats	Bites on the legs. Drag the prey to rat tunnels. Sometimes eat with the birds. Loves eating fresh eggs. Eats feathers for protein.
Weasel	Bites on the neck. Can attack multiple animals. Sometimes attack in the pack. Can enter a 1-inch opening. Hard to catch.

Health benefits of raccoons eating ducks

• Duck meat is loaded with nutrients
• It has a rich meaty flavour
• There are high levels of fats and proteins present in duck meat
• It also contains micronutrients like iron, selenium, and niacin
• Also, it is a good source of calories
• The protein helps with cell regeneration and the development of body tissues. 

How To Keep Raccoons Away From Ducks?

• Use small mesh on the coop door
• Block gaps in the fence and coop
• Use small mesh under the coop
• Use hook locks on your coop door
• Only let the ducks out during the day
• Remove waste duck food frequently
• Remove duck eggs more often

Scents and tastes that raccoons hate

• Tea tree oil
• Peppermint
• Irish spring oil
• Epsom salt
• Cayenne pepper

How Do You Keep Raccoons Away From Duck Eggs?

The best way is to design a box where a duck can enter and sit near the eggs and not the raccoon. This is a permanent solution to this problem. Raccoons are very territorial and return to the same place again and again. Trapping and relocating them is illegal in some states.

• You can easily buy protective materials from home improvement stores.
• You can wrap a metal sheet cone to the pipe ( on which the box is placed). This is to keep the cone 3 ft off the ground.
• The nesting box must be off the ground to protect it from predators and water. This makes it difficult for the predators to climb.
• Nail the metal sheet to the pipe with nails and a hammer.
• Now, cover the nesting box with wire mesh so that raccoons cannot go inside the box. 
• Secure the mesh wire in its place with a durable stapler. 
• Cut a 3-4 inch hole in one side of the wire mesh using a wire cutter. This is to make way for the duck to get in and out. 
• Sand the edges with metal sandpaper. 

Final words

In conclusion, I would say that it is the absolute truth that raccoons can kill ducks. Both the animals cannot go along together. Therefore, if you have ducks and raccoons around your area, you will have to take special care of your ducks. Rather, you may end up losing them.

As raccoons are omnivores, they love to eat meat. And duck meat gives an enticing flavour to the raccoons. So they can easily kill and eat them. 

I hope you enjoyed the article. I will be back soon with a more interesting and informative piece of writing. Till then, stay connected. Thank you.

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