Are ducks a good idea for me?

Hey. I’m considering getting ducks and putting them in my small pond.
My concern is that they will not be protected from predators, although, using a small mobile coop next to the pond is possible. I’m not sure if they will return to be closed in at night though.
Also, I’m not sure what breed is worth considering.
Any thoughts or insight would be helpful!
Thank you in advance!

If you feed them EVERY evening in the same shelter, they will return. Otherwise, they will probably prefer to spend the night outside. Lots of breeds out there. Depends on what you want (meat, eggs, pretty birds?).

Potential Consideration: Depending on how many ducks/how small the pond is, you may get nitrogen buildup (algae blooms and bad if there are fish in the pond).
Potential Solution: Do you have somewhere else to put the ducks if that were to happen? For example, if you saw algae build up or the ammonia levels got too high, you could plan on having the ducks go to the orchard or on pasture for a while.
Idea: I think a cool system would be a pond with ducks, fish, and aquatic plants. I'd figure out some sort of system to keep the water aerated and a filter to keep it relatively clean. You'd have to worry about the ammonia levels, but a biofilter could turn the ammonia (byproduct of/toxin for the fish) into nitrite into nitrate (fertilizer for the plants in your system). Would also be cool to have some sort of low-tech aquaponics raft system.

What is your goal?  meat, eggs, mosquito control?  how big is the pond?

Ducks are *really, really* messy. Since you mention a small mobile coop as an option, consider actually moving it regularly and rotating the birds through your homestead with rubber buckets/bins for them to bath in. Thus the "duckerlizer" gets spread out, instead of concentrated in the pond. The pond can be a special treat or saved for the spring if you want fertilized eggs to hatch, as I've read that some ducks do better mating in water.

I use and sell duck eggs, although it's harder to find duck egg customers. We have a number of clients who are allergic to chicken eggs, who can eat duck eggs just fine.

Ducks are excellent for slug patrol around a garden area and even in the garden in the spring before treats like strawberries are ripening.

Yes - withholding feed during the day so the birds will go to bed easily at night is something we use a lot.  This also encourages good foraging efforts.

Wow! I’m grateful for all these responses. I really wanted the ducks to eat mosquitoes and to perhaps increase the health of the pond. However, after reading the comments it seems the ducks may be a detriment to the pond. I wasn’t looking for another animal that is high management either, so now I’m pretty sure ducks are not for me. I have chickens for eggs/meat and goats for milk/meat and so I think I’ll hold off.
Thanks again all for this insight!

Hi Tori,
If you are looking for mosquito control and a healthier pond... perhaps some minnows would fit the situation better than ducks?

Matt McSpadden wrote:Hi Tori,
If you are looking for mosquito control and a healthier pond... perhaps some minnows would fit the situation better than ducks?

And/ or frogs. Frogs also help with flies and other tiny critters.

I got a canoo and went to all lakes where i am to collect as many differing plants and ecosystems (critters on plants and microbes) as possible. I had fish in there which i never fed for years, water stayed superclean till this day. Biodiversity is what does it.
If mosquitos are your problem, when i came to this house, we had to have a mosquito net to sleep. I planted as many differing trees ,shrubs and herbs around the garden as i could find( in the wild and in clients gardens). Now bats and birds and swallows keep it mosquito free. I can sleep with the window open. And i made 1 pond, and have 5 open basins full of rainwater. Again, biodiversity..

Hugo Morvan wrote:I got a canoo and went to all lakes where i am to collect as many differing plants and ecosystems (critters on plants and microbes) as possible. I had fish in there which i never fed for years, water stayed superclean till this day. Biodiversity is what does it.
If mosquitos are your problem, when i came to this house, we had to have a mosquito net to sleep. I planted as many differing trees ,shrubs and herbs around the garden as i could find( in the wild and in clients gardens). Now bats and birds and swallows keep it mosquito free. I can sleep with the window open. And i made 1 pond, and have 5 open basins full of rainwater. Again, biodiversity..

Thank you for this input. I like the idea of gathering some new water plants species to put in there. It would have a never occurred to me. We have some bat activity but hopefully we can increase the biodiversity!

Ducks can be a great addition to your pond! If you're worried about predators, the mobile coop idea could work, but you’ll need to train them to come back at night, which might take some time. As for breeds, it really depends on what you want. If you’re after something hardy and easygoing, maybe look into breeds like Khaki Campbell or Pekin. They’re also pretty good for eggs if that’s something you’re into. Just make sure your pond is safe for them, and you’ve got some shelter from predators!