Dispatching Ducks without Triggering Dog's Prey Drive

Hello, All!

Once upon a time, I wondered if there might be an urban market for duck eggs.

Suffice it to say, I did not get the statistical sex outcome of a 1:1 ratio based on an infinite number of ducks. IOW, I have eight drakelets, two ducks, and one lab/pit bull mix. And two cats.

They (the ducks) are 15 weeks old, and one of the fellows is acting somewhat randy. The ducks aren't laying yet, so I need to dispatch seven drakelets like yesterday.

I am going to dispatch them in the garage using a kill cone. Why the garage you ask? Because random people have called the cops on me for legally pumping water from the river that abuts my property (that was fun), but if I were to stand out there smoking meth, they wouldn't bother me. I keep a Police Water Package that includes copies of my water certificate and all the deeds going back to 18something or other, as well as a the definition of "riparian" as the last officer who came tried to Google it on his phone. I also keep a Police Duck Package that includes all the laws and ordinances regarding having ducks within city limits based the size of my property, county plat documents and handwritten calculations showing how many ducks I am allowed to keep by law.

As of today, no one has called the cops on me regarding the ducks. I can't even.

To the matter at hand. I have a lovely dog whom I leave outside with the ducks while I telework in the house. All she wants to do is sniff their butts and roll in their poop. She understands the command "Leave those duckies alone" which I chose because when she was a puppy, I taught her "Leave those kitties alone."

So, my dog is a dog, and I don't know if I should board her when I'm dispatching and processing the ducks. Will her eyes go wild with raw meat fever? Will the rest of the flock be at risk? Will I be at risk? Will she bring all her boys to the yard and go all zombie on us? (I'm not afraid of her eating the cats or me. She likes poop.)

What say you? Will Joy develop a bloodlust that cannot be controlled?

I cannot say about YOUR dog but mine (lab/collieX) doesn't, she is present when they are slaughtered and waits to grab the heads and later the feet. She's fed raw all the time and never tries to get her own duck, she's much more interested in eating what comes out of their bottoms than them while they are still alive!

I'm not going to do this in the garage. I'm going to nail the cone to a tree and try to rig a privacy curtain out of tarps and twine. (Hopefully I'll be able to afford clumping bamboo next year for both privacy and for use as a wind break.)

As for my dog, I'm going to leave her in the house during the slaughter. She's attached to me at the hip, but I'm not going to take any chances while I'm learning a new skill. I'll bring the carcass inside for the rest. I'll take incremental steps for myself (practicing patience for myself is an issue I'm addressing), and I'll incrementally expose Joy to the process.

I'll probably make stock from the feet, neck, heart, gizzard, and liver.

And yes to the love of duck poop. Sweet, crazy girl.

I might start a thread documenting my novice attempt.

Thanks so much, Skandi :D

I have a welsh sheepdog who helps me around the place.  He watches what I do and when he thinks he's figured out what I'm attempting to accomplish, he tries to do it for me.

If I collect fallen fruit, he finds ones I've missed and brings them to me.  

If I try to herd ducks, he does it for me.

If an uncooperative drake decides to sit down instead of allowing itself to be herded, he takes note, bats it on the back with his paws to make sure it stays there, then comes to fetch me to tell me where it is so I can pick it up.

If a chicken refuses to be herded, he applies the same technique of 'pawsing' it, batting it on the back until it sits down, then coming to fetch me.

In short, he studies everything I do and figures out how to make my life easier.

No way on earth am I ever going to kill and process ducks or any other poultry where he can watch!

Burra Maluca wrote:I have a welsh sheepdog who helps me around the place.  He watches what I do and when he thinks he's figured out what I'm attempting to accomplish, he tries to do it for me.


...SNIP...

In short, he studies everything I do and figures out how to make my life easier.

No way on earth am I ever going to kill and process ducks or any other poultry where he can watch!

I hear you. Today she had her puppy ears on and wasn't following commands at.all. (She was digging holes.)

I'm not confident that she won't try to help me or just go buck wild. She doesn't need to be at my side 24/7/365. I'm learning. That's a good thing.

When I try to accomplish too much at one time, my mantras are "slow and steady wins the race, but there is no race" and "perfect is the enemy of good." I went outside with a plan to do one thing, and I ended up doing another thing for three hours. That other thing needed to be done, but not immediately.

Man, I'm 52 years old, and I'm still trying to shed my self-critical nature. I criticize myself for still being self-critical.

Oof. Therapy via nature.