Ducks - how to have them roam in the vegie patch

Hi,
We have four pekin ducks that we allow to roam in part of our garden area where we have raised beds of various heights made from colorbond metal.

Wondering other people's experiences on how to incorporate ducks into their edible garden area?

Do you find it best to have high enough raised beds so they can only eat anything that hangs down? Or do you have certain plants that you find you can grow that ducks won't obliterate? (So far I have found parsley is good in this way, but keen to find other suggestions.).

Or do you use a part time fence to keep them out?

We love having the ducks in the garden area as they keep the slugs and snails at bay

Hi John,
Welcome to Permies!

I don't have much duck experience, but I have heard good things about people who let the chickens into the garden at the end of the day, maybe 30-60 minutes before they would normally be bedding down for the night. The concept is that the chickens will start with the stuff they really like, such as bugs and grubs and won't have time to make a mess of the plants. I wonder if a similar thing would work for ducks?

My experience with chickens in the garden is that most of the time, as they scratch, they quite viciously destroy the roots of everything, so I try hard to keep them out of my annual veggies. Our ducks have never bothered my gardens, though I've heard from others that ducks are more likely to go for the tender greens. So, lettuces might not be something you'd want them to have easy access to, but I have a perennial shade garden, with hostas, asparagus, various medicinal herbs, and a few types of flowers that they all have access to - even the chickens. The ducks are decidedly gentler, and don't seem interested in many of the plants, but love the critters that eat the plants.

Ducks can be a great help in the garden, especially runner ducks who are best known for eating tons of snails and slugs. Runner ducks are also taller than other ducks so its easier for them to reach bugs on your plants. I fear if I left my flock the option to eat my garden 24/7 they woudln´t leave anything for me-so like the above person mentioned I would just let them have access to it for an hour or two at a time. That way they eat all the bugs first as that´s what theyr´re most excited about, and there´s a lower chance they will bother with your veggies.

Just keep an eye out on them if you planted any nightshade plants. The leaves and stems can be quite toxic to them.