Duck in garden.

[gardenaholic]

I have a small plastic kids pool that they use which I clean out daily. Great stuff for the garden!! I find that they are very territorial and will not wonder too far so if you have somewhere where they can stay away from a prized pond they will not venture too far. You can also just give them a bucket. As long as they can clean their beaks out they will be fine.

[Primrose]

Another duck question please, since this one is still here and I don't know anything about ducks. She seems to be very restless, sitting down for a few moments, changing position then getting up, wandering around for a few moments, then sitting down again. I wonder whether she might be elderly or have arthritis which is making her uncomfortable, or whether all ducks behave like this. When I feed her oats, she tries to eat as many as possible from a seated position rather than standing up and pecking at it. Or is she just lazy? Also, can I feed her grain?

[Monika]

Ducks, well, mallards anyway, are omniverous - tadpoles, newts, plants, anything will do. We get mallards every spring on our local nature reserve pond when it's full of tadpoles. Sometimes they also nest but the eggs are usually taken by crows (we think) and probably foxes, so we have never had ducklings.

[vivie veg]

Mixed poultry grain or layers pellets are obviously idea for ducks and can be bought for about £6 per 25 kg bag from most agricultural outlets. This will last one duck a long...long time.

Mixed grain would probably be best as you could use it in bird feeders for other feathered friends (layers pellets go mushy and rancide if left for too long). I only feed as much as the duck can eat in about 1/4 of an hour then take it away, this way you will not be encouraging rats. Most birds prefer to eat this way.....fill their crops up then go and lie somewhere safe or warm to digest it.

My ducks will generally go hunting for food when first let out, but after an hour will sit down to relax in the sun (if there is any) however when they see me they will get up with a lot a quacking and start grub hunting...I aways think they are saying "Quick the boss is coming look busy!"

I currently have 25 mixed chickens and ducks on my market garden and love every one of them.....barring the ten back rock chickens I know the others individually. I have just hatched out 5 chicks with more coming in the incubator......what lungs they have!

Must go. Work to do, poultry to let out and fire fighting course today!

[Primrose]

Vivie - thanks for the helpful info about the grain feeding. Yes, she's still here, but now often flies off during the day, returning at first light for breakfast, and around teatime. A couple of days ago there were three drakes in attendance chasing her, so I guess any day now she'll depart for good to breed. But we've enjoyed having her, even if we've lost all our tadpoles this year, so no baby frogs to look forward to. I rather envy you chickens and ducks. They are so entertaining to watch and have around.

[Primrose]

This is one crafty duck. Every morning she arrives at dawn and sits at the base of the bird table until we feed her. This afternoon when we returned home from a visit to Saville Gardens, she was up on the roof, watching and waiting. The minute I went into the garden and called to her she was down in a flash. But now she gobbles up her food and flies off soI suspect she now has another more important agenda elsewhere. But she's getting tamer by the day, so perhaps she now has a nest somewhere where food is in short supply.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Hi Primrose, It is a shame your duck is causing problems, but perhaps it is eating lots of slugs too.

My dilemma has been solved for me. My friend phoned last week to say the fox had eaten all the ducks when her husband forgot to fasten them up for the night. Very sad.

[June]

We also have just had a duck and two drakes arrive in our back garden last Thursday. They've been back every day since and will only leave if shooed off! While it's lovely to see them in the garden, I'm concerned for them. We live in a typical suburban house, the garden at the back is not large (approx 25'x45') and very overlooked by other houses, most of whom have dogs. I can only think they've taken a shine to our garden because it's always well stocked with bird food and drinking water (and lots of other birds!). When they arrived Thursday I contacted our local wildlife rescue for advice who told me she is looking for a nesting place with the two drakes acting in attendance. I've no idea where the nearest water is, he said they can travel up to two miles away from their usual territory to nest and then lead the ducklings to the water when hatched.
At present we're letting them come into the garden to feed (on bird food!) and have a drink then shooing them off after a while. They've now reached the point where they're sitting on neighbouring roofs until we go inside, then flying down again! If anyone can give me any advice on the following points I'd be really grateful.

If the duck does decide to nest in our garden, how quickly does it all happen?! (Nest building and laying).
Would the drakes remain with her and is there any chance they would become aggressive while she is nesting? (We have a small, very old, very doddery dog)
As the garden is completely enclosed with no way out for tiny ducklings, if a nest and eggs do appear, what on earth do we do then?!
Any advice very gladly received.
Thanks in advance, June

[Primrose]

June - not sure I can offer too much advice. We've just returned home after three days away, and our resident duck seems to have disappeared during our absence, possibly because we weren't there to feed her every day. Ducks do seem to nest in some very unsuitable places if they take a fancy to them. Last year, a friend had a duck nesting on her flat garage roof despite the big drop to the ground and she didn't even have a pond in her garden. When it came to the ducklings being ready to depart, they were so worried about them falling and the babies injuring themselves that they put a ladder and scaffolding board up to the edge of the roof. In the event, the babies just dropped off the side, uninjured and Mother waited for them to open their side garden gate to allow them to wander off in search of a nearby river (the position of which which mother obviously had imprinted on her brain).

[June]

Hello Primrose
Thanks for your reply. After being in a flap(!) about the ducks all bank holiday weekend, I phoned the RSPB (as I'm a member-but ignorant about duck habits!!) yesterday. They told me the drakes disappear off a few days after the egg laying is complete (normally about a dozen eggs) then the female sits on them for 28 days leaving briefly to feed and drink each day. They assured me if there was a nest, aggression wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, since yesterday they've been absent all day until about 3pm then stayed until dusk, resting, eating and drinking! We think if there is a nest it must be elsewhere. So it looks like we won't have to organise a police escort to water for any ducklings!
Thanks again, June

[Primrose]

We are a Duck Mother !! This morning I spotted our duck in the road nearby. (Knew it was her because I called her and she started to come when I called her, but then she suddenly halted and I realised why.) She had 15 ducklings in tow which couldn't have been more than 48 hours old. The traffic was screaming to a halt to miss her and her entourage. She eventually reached the safety of our village green where there is a large pond in the grounds of adjacent building which is obviously where she was heading for. The babies were adorable but my veggie seedlings don't know what a narrow scrape they've had from being trampled to death !

[June]

Congratulations, Primrose!
Our female duck disappeared Wednesday. We were relieved she didn't nest in our garden! We have seen the two males each morning since, staying briefly to eat and drink. Then by surprise, the female arrived again today at 4pm for a quick feed and drink! We think she must now be incubating somewhere nearby. Since my last posting our neighbours told us their friends had a duck nesting in their garden which backs onto fields and water. it's fairly near here so I only hope it's the same family. What a fascinating experience it's been for us (and hopefully you, too!).
June

[Primrose]

June, yes, definitely looks like your duck is incubating as her behaviour was like yours, just dashing in for a quick feed and drink and anxious to get back to her nest, wherever it is. I was amazed at the speed at which she was marching down the lane with her babies in the direction of the pond. She knew exactly where she was headed and the poor little ducklings were almost collapsing with exhaustion trying to keep up. Hopefully they're all now enjoying their first swim. Unfortunately the pond she was heading for is in private grounds so we won't be able to follow their progress any further.

[marianne34]

We've also got ducks in our pool this year - but they only stayed for a week and moved on. My kids loved them