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I've a bit of a pond problem, any ideas?

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T O P I C R E V I E W
suny58	Posted - Aug 28 2019 : 10:22:10 AM Hi farm sisters! I have a huge problem. And I do mean he is huge. In fact there are several huge problems in my pond. Our pond is approx. 3 1/2 acres large and we have all kinds of wildlife and beautiful bass and other fish that fill the pond. However for the last 3 years I've lost a total of 47 ducks. At first I had no idea. I thought it was owls or hawks or even the bobcat, and maybe a few times it was. But I've seen our problem a few times but didn't quite know how to remedy it. I called the wildlife game officer and he said that there was nothing we could do about it but drain the pond. He said the alligator snappers are rare and had slow digestion so wouldn't eat often. There are two larger than the size of my behind, no joke!! I do not want to kill them but today I watched one of the beautiful visiting Teal ducks get pulled under and feathers everywhere then the 'bubbles' went in pursuit of the little female who did fly off. My heart was crushed and now I am angry. How do I remedy this problem??? Any other pond owners out there who might can help?? The ag office said to hire a trapper but couldn't guarentee that they could be captured alive to rehome them. Thanks in advance!!! Farmgirl #7103 FGOTM January 2018 Dianna "Blessed are they that see beautiful things in humble places, where other people see nothing." Pissarro
3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
hoosiercountry	Posted - Sep 05 2019 : 11:03:37 AM Hi Dianna, I just wanted to add a little more information on putting a float on your pond I learned from trial and error. First you can buy sheets of Styrofoam at Home Depot, they are like 6'x 8'. I always double layer mine for weight purposes. I have found the is really the best way for me. My first one was a pallet with milk cartons underneath, held with rope and net. Trust me the sheet of Styrofoam works so much better. I always use indoor/outdoor carpet to cover it, you can get it cheep on amazon. It is really important to let it hang over the sides and into the water a bit, the babies or young ducks will be able to climb up on the float, otherwise they have trouble getting up on it. Good luck with your trapping, my daughters boyfriend favorite turtle is the alligator snapper, they can be mean. Hugs Karla FGOM March 2018 I dusted once, it came back. I'm not falling for that again.
suny58	Posted - Aug 30 2019 : 6:28:23 PM Oh Karla what a great idea!! We do plan on putting something out in the pond, like this or old tires. Something where they can escape onto for sure. I watched a few youtubes on capturing these snappers humanely and ended up ordering a rigid live cage by Tomahawk to capture up to 100 lbs!! I know the one is probably over 80 at least and the second one I spotted was a little smaller, at least 60. Then of course there are the younger ones. I've got great hopes to rehome these guys in a couple weeks time and hopefully I can have ducks again safely without having to cage them up!!! Thank you for sharing and caring hon!!!!:) blessings!! Farmgirl #7103 FGOTM January 2018 Dianna "Blessed are they that see beautiful things in humble places, where other people see nothing." Pissarro
hoosiercountry	Posted - Aug 28 2019 : 1:45:18 PM Hi Dianna, I live in FL and have lost a great number of ducks to various predators. I finally put out a float in the middle of my pond. The first one I used pallets tied together, and old milk cartons or large pieces of Styrofoam. I anchored it by tying ropes from each side, but my pound is no way near as large as yours. Most of my were lost to raccoons at night while the ducks roasted on the shore. It really made a difference. I have had the alligator snappers, I have had only one large one and was told to trap or try to bait it with a large fish hook and large piece of chicken, much like they do alligators. We had a dry spell where our pond really got to small for it so it moved on. Sorry I can't be more help, but I would try to bait it with a hook. Here is a picture of the float I have now, as you can see the ducks don't use it. LOL Hugs Karla FGOM March 2018 I dusted once, it came back. I'm not falling for that again.

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