As an omnivore, raccoons eat everything, including nuts, fruits, birds, eggs, and more. They are mammals, and they live on different food sources. They don’t necessarily need to depend on a single food source; they can eat whatever they find on their way.
They love to eat bird’s eggs, nuts, berries, and different nuts. They try to eat what they can quickly get on their way. If raccoons walk in the jungle, some berries and fruits might be. They will devour those fruits and will not go for anything else.
Do raccoons eat ducks?
Raccoons do eat ducks and bird’s eggs. They hunt ducks and eat slowly. Although raccoons are mammals, they can eat other mammals and animals. They can eat birds, insects, eggs, and different fruits. Raccoons are omnivores, so they can eat everything they find suitable.
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Eating ducks is not a challenging task for raccoons. They can go for any bird and gobble it. Despite the age and types of ducks, raccoons can eat most of the ducks without facing any digestion problems.
Type:
Mallard ducks:
Raccoons can eat mallard ducks if they find them alone or in bad condition.
Typically, the mallard ducks are fully-grown & aged ducks that are difficult to capture. If raccoons find them alone and weak, they won’t let your mallard ducks survive anymore.
Raccoons don’t regularly go for the mallard ducks. They only eat this duck when they are too hungry and can’t find any suitable food source.
If any weak mallard duck comes near the raccoon, they will eat it quickly, but the live and strong mallard ducks keep away from the raccoons & survive.
Pekin ducks:
Here is another fully-grown duck type. Pekin ducks are grown for meat, and they are very friendly.
Raccoons will eat Pekin ducks if they find them alone and feel very hungry. Otherwise, raccoons won’t go for the Pekin ducks; still, you should be careful about your Pekin duck and keep them away from the raccoons.
They are not safe in front of a mammal that can eat and digest anything. It’s not sure that the raccoons will let your Pekin ducks play and skip them. If they are hungry and can find a weak Pekin duck, it will be the raccoons’ meal.
Age:
Baby ducks:
Raccoons eat baby ducks without facing any problem. They love to eat both eggs and baby birds. Since baby ducks are helpless and can’t protect themselves from mammal’s prey, they become the raccoon’s meal for a day.
Baby ducks are easy to find and devour food sources for a raccoon. Sometimes, raccoons will search for the best available tasty food, baby birds & eggs. So, keep your baby ducks away from the raccoons’ surroundings, and protect their lives.
Full-grown ducks:
It’s difficult for the raccoons to eat the fully-grown ducks within a while.
The fully-grown ducks are aggressive and live in a team; therefore, it seems complicated for the raccoons to target a single one and go for it. They can’t even go near the grown ducks.
So, you should repel the raccoons from the surroundings and let your fully-grown ducks play together. Never let them go alone and leave the group; it’s an opportunity for raccoons.
Do raccoons eat duck eggs?
Raccoons eat duck eggs. They love to eat different eggs of the birds and ducks. Since duck’s eggs are easy to find and they are helpless and can’t make any defense against the raccoons, they become the main meal. But raccoons won’t deter the ducks and eat the eggs.
They eat eggs when the eggs are alone and nothing is nearby. You know raccoon is an omnivore and eats everything they find on their way, including fruits, nuts, seeds, birds, eggs, and ducks.
It will become a delicious meal if you leave your duck’s egg open and fail to protect or get them into the cage.
Raccoons search for food when they walk through the road or jungle. Whenever they find duck or bird’s eggs, they stop and plan how to get them. If there is any protection and the ducks are around their eggs, they won’t go for it. If they find eggs alone, they will eat them.
What do raccoons do to ducks?
Raccoons are predators to birds & ducks. If raccoons find your duck alone, they will try to eat the lonely duck. Also, they can take away the baby ducks from your coop if there is no fence around it. Raccoons will take the duck and then eat it eventually.
Sometimes the coop fence has some gap, and it helps the raccoon fix a target. When they find the opportunity to get a particular duck, they go for it.
You cannot stop the raccoons from predating the baby ducks. You only have the option to protect them by ensuring a secure fence and coop.
“3” reasons why raccoons eat ducks
There are many reasons why raccoons eat ducks. Let’s get to know them.
Omnivore Animal:
Raccoon is an omnivores, which means they love to eat everything that they find in their way, including birds, eggs, fruits, berries, and more. It’s the main reason raccoons eat ducks if they find them alone on the road or in an area.
For example, a raccoon may walk through your coop and make a target on a certain duck. It only takes away the duck once it is alone. Since it’s a predator of birds & ducks and it’s an omnivore, raccoons can eat ducks simultaneously.
Eating Habit:
Raccoons love to eat baby birds, ducks, and eggs. It’s their eating habit that predates the ducks. They can easily digest the duck’s meat within a while. Before that, they make a plan and fix up their target on a particular duck.
Raccoons are Hungry:
Raccoons don’t hunt ducks or take them over every time. They eat ducks and other birds only when they feel hungry and can’t find anything to meet their needs. It’s their habit to eat anything once they are hungry.
How do raccoons hunt ducks?
Raccoons hunt ducks by targeting. The first target a particular duck, then hunt it eventually once it is alone. If you keep your ducks in the coop, but the coop doesn’t have any strong fence, raccoons will hunt your ducks.
Raccoons will look for the weak fence and the gap between them; they then fix their target.
Once their targeted duck is nearby & there is no threat to raccoons, they will hunt the fixed one. They take the duck, leave it immediately, and go to a safe place. Then, start to eat that in a group or alone. Thus, the raccoons hunt ducks.
How do you keep raccoons away from ducks?
You can keep raccoons away from ducks in several ways. Follow them and repel the raccoons within a while.
Fence:
You can fence around the coop and keep raccoons away from ducks. Fencing should be tightly placed, and the gap between them should never be enough for the raccoons to come inside. You can use both bamboo and plastic to make a strong fence.
If there is no fence around the coop or a gap between the fence, the raccoons will go through it to hunt the ducks. So, fencing is a must, and you have to minimize the gap.
Natural Smell:
You can use some home ingredients and spread a strong smell in the air that raccoons mostly ignore.
Peppermint oil, hot pepper, onion, and garlic are the natural ingredients. You can use any of them and make a sprayer using hot water and spices.
It will become a natural repellent for the raccoons. You can spray around the fence or the coop to keep the raccoons away from your duck. The smell of these ingredients is strong and bitter to the raccoons for which they go away or leave the place.
Spray Pepper:
Using spray pepper is another excellent way to deter the raccoons from protecting your ducks.
Hot pepper is an excellent raccoon repeller. You can take some pepper at hand and scatter them around the duck coop. It will spread a strong smell in the air.
Most probably, the raccoons will leave the place as soon as they find the smell of the pepper because they cannot bear it. They keep themselves safe from the damage of different peppers.
Anti-Raccoons Spray:
The easiest way to keep raccoons away from the ducks is to purchase the anti-raccoons spray.
If you go to a nearby pest shop, you can buy the raccoon’s repellent with some bucks. It will contain most of the chemicals and smells that raccoons try to avoid.
Final Thoughts
Since raccoons are omnivores, they can eat everything, including fruits, berries, nuts, birds, eggs, and other insects. They eat whatever they find on their way or are easy to access. Therefore, raccoons can eat the ducks if they find a single baby duck. Sometimes they hunt the fully-grown duck too.