Safe Mosquito and Tick Control: Raise Chickens, Guineas or Ducks

I didn't know that ducks would eat snakes and mice etc. I want to have just a few around the house more or less as pets, but I'm afraid the will eat my goldfish in my very small pond. Do ducks eat fish too? Thanks for any help.

I have heard many comments about how beneficial ducks can be for pest control, while still keeping a garden intact. We have no natural water features on our property, but keep a child's wading pool with water for our honey bees and chickens. How necessary is a pond for the "happiness" of ducks?
As for ticks, when our chickens have the run of the yard we are virtually tick free. Now that they are more or less confined to the orchard and woods, I pick ticks all the time. Thanks. V.

What are some of the best bantam breeds for bug control?

I keep reading that some breeds are better than others for foraging. Is there a bantam breed that is best suited for bug control? What is the best breed for bug control and decent eggs?

For Jean, the only thing that I can let you know about from what I've heard works is a guard dog. I don't know if this would work in your situation, but I watched on a gardening show (Gardening by the Yard, HGTV) that there's a powder you can sprinkle around to keep animals away-it is basically bobcat urine, and it'll even keep your birds from going certain places you don't want them to.
FOr Amy, I wish you could send those frogs to the mainland! We are losing so many frogs to pesticides and chemicals that it's affecting our ecosystem horribly! Its a bigger problem than most know. ~Karen, Ky

As for predators...... I hang scratched CD's or old DVD's in the trees to keep hawks out. Seems to do a decent job with the unpredictable movement and the flashes of light.
Coyotes are another story. I have a large dog that seems to keep them back some. Now I have heard that Llamas and donkeys will chase coyotes. That might be a thought.
For snakes keep all houses, wood piles and the like up of the ground several inches. The chickens can at least see the snakes then and get away. 1/4 inch mesh hardware cloth is helpful as well. You will have to dig down to keep snakes and the like from going under it. And nail it down securely over any openings. This should also help keep out racoons and opossums as well.

I have chickens, turkeys and a peahen. They are good at keeping the bugs down (I still get some) And yes they will eat snakes. Which I don't mind as the snakes here would rather dine on eggs or chicks than put forth the effort to eat mice. In nearly 7 years I haven't had a copperhead on the place. Perhaps due to my not being by a stream or perhaps it is the birds.
I have had them try to catch lizards and you have to watch them as they will eat the earthworms too.
My turkey poults love weeds esp the clover that appears in the garden from time to time and have yet to eat anything I've planted. Now the chickens do damage stuff with their scratching. Chicken wire on the ground (bed springs ect.) will discourage that till the plants get up. Now if they would only seriously chase the squirrels and rabbits out I could be really lazy!

I'm reading some good stories, but why are so many of you commending your chickens for eating snakes? Most snakes that I know of are very beneficial predators of insects themselves. Leave the snakes alone!!

I have ducks in my city backyard, so we don't have problems with predators. In fact, we don't even pen them anymore at night and let them roam the yard at all times. Even the neighborhood cats don't seem to care. My ducks are only 4 months old and have totally taken care of any bugs in the yard. Just in the last week we have noticed that mosquitos in the evening are practically nonexistent and flies, no more! Pretty cool side benefit that I never even thought of. I was just interested in the eggs! www.whatupduck.com

Did anyone have success with ducks or chickens eating up their frogs?? We on the Big Island of Hawaii are having an infestion problem with the Coqui Frog!! The only catch is the the Coqui is a nocturnal creature-- but if a duck or chicken likes to eat them I would certainly try to train them to stay up nights!!

Although we have grown elderly, we still live on a small farm and have for many years. We have tried raising chickens, ducks, geese and so on, however, have been unable to keep them due to the wild critters and coyotes killing them all. we have been completely wiped out of all poultry , and sheep. any advice?