What will Ducks NOT eat?

I am constructing a small pond and marsh for some ducks. I will be growing duck feed OUTSIDE of the system. What useful plants can I grow IN a marsh or pond to help filter duck manure, which will not get munched into oblivion? I don't mind them nibbling at the plants a bit. I was thinking maybe some of the rush type plants would work well.

Plastic plants. Anything else is toast, unless the pond is very big and the ducks very few.

Instead, I will have a very small pond, and a relative plenty of ducks. (four)

But I don't think plastic plants would filter and oxygenate water very well.

HUM.

I feel your pain. Ducks will totally destroy any plants around their water, even if they don't eat them. In my experience, the only kind of small pond that works well with ducks is one with a drain in the bottom.

What about all those "horrible" invasive things that like lots of water and nitrogen, and tend to get out of control? Comfrey? Running bamboo?

Figure out a way to limit the access of the ducks so that the plants will grow back. Also, if you could figure out a paddock-type system, where you could limit their access to specific areas, and limit the extent to which they eat down individual plants, well, you'd have to keep them moving, but your greenery would survive.

My take on this is that ducks require paddocks with individual ponds. If you can't have them forage without destroying everything, you need to give the destroyed paddocks adequate time for everything to grow back and probably go to seed before the ducks return. Perhaps they aren't really a good permacultural domestic animal if you don't have the space.

-CK

I admit I'm a noob in this area, but it seems that some version of Geoff Lawton's floating plant island with netting to prevent the ducks from getting up on the island and designed so the ducks could only trim roots that went too far into the water, would be one approach. I've been thinking of a related floating "box" that would have duckweed in it - any duck weed that escapes the box gets eaten, but the "mother" remains safe. I'm not sure either of these ideas will work if you don't have the density under control.
I agree with Chris Kott that arranging a paddock system may need to be part of the system.
There is another guy on Youtube who pumps the duck water through a "hydroponics-type" system and back into the duck pond for cleaning purposes as well as to fertilize the plants. This would require more care/complexity/planning and would depend on density.
In another video related to a chicken run, they showed planting trees inside car tires so the chickens couldn't scratch up the roots to the point it killed the tree. That concept might help you protect the roots of things like rushes and cattails, but I have no idea if that would be enough to save the plant if the ducks were determined to eat it. I suspect the root would get exhausted unless there was fencing going up above the water line sort of like a tomato cage.
In another thread, a contributor suggested just using a stock tank and moving it around an orchard. Dumping the tank once a week onto the tree it was under would water and fertilize that tree, and then you can move the tank to another appreciative tree.
I am pretty much at the same point of trying to figure out how to meet my duck's desires for bathing without them getting eaten by an eagle. At some point, you may just have to try some experiments and see what works. Hopefully, I've stimulated some lateral thinking that might inspire you! If you do find some things that work, please report back.

Hi All,

Has anyone got any more experience with ducks to add to this thread? Has anyone used a rotating paddock system with Campbell/Runner- type ducks and can identify some successes/failures of their system so that I can learn from that? My friend is hassling me because my duck habitat lacks good swimming facilities, but we have heavy predator pressure (flying and land-based) and I hate to loose more of my feathery friends through the learning-curve while I figure it out. I've got 3 birds in what is essentially a portable cage on grass that moves twice a day but they only get buckets of water - no swimming pool.

Thanks

Mine have left the cattails alone. It could be because the cattails got a head start vs. when the ducks were big enough to get into the water, but it's ended up giving a delightful tidy arrangement where they keep MOST of the weeds down, and leave the few cattails looking comparatively manicured.








(Note: 8 Black Swedish ducks and 4 geese in a pond about 90'x30', plus a grassy yard about 2x-3x that big.)

I have to agree with Mike. I have the same experience with my ducks in the pond. They pretty much clean up or make a mess of all the other aquatic vegetation, but leave the cattails alone. They may make a path through them to go in and out of the pond, but even then it is an easier open'ish spot in the cattails. Also as Mike, my cattails got a few years head start on the ducks. Here in the Pacific Northwest my flock of ducks help with the slug control. They routinely forage the field around the pond rooting through the grass for them. I do some supplemental feeding at the edge of the pond because, even with the free range foraging they do, they do seem to need a bit of grain on the side. Reaching a balance between ducks and pond size, pretty much depends on what one's duck farming program is.

Jay Angler wrote:Hi All,

Has anyone got any more experience with ducks to add to this thread? Has anyone used a rotating paddock system with Campbell/Runner- type ducks and can identify some successes/failures of their system so that I can learn from that? My friend is hassling me because my duck habitat lacks good swimming facilities, but we have heavy predator pressure (flying and land-based) and I hate to loose more of my feathery friends through the learning-curve while I figure it out. I've got 3 birds in what is essentially a portable cage on grass that moves twice a day but they only get buckets of water - no swimming pool.

Thanks

What kind of ducks do you have? I ask because if they are Muscovies, they don't need a pond to the same extent that other breeds of ducks do. My muskies are quite content with a bucket of water and a kiddie pool but don't spend nearly as much time in the kiddie pool as my new Blue Swedish and Pekin do. I will have to upgrade to ponds rather than kiddie pools before I increase my number of Sweds/Pekins...

Also, the Muskies are less destructive to plants than my Sweds and Pekin are proving to be.

Just a few observations.

Nobody has mentioned the magic of duck manure in your pond! I would agree with the previous post about a drain being preferable. This or a pump could move dirty water to plants away from the ducks. My duck pond water after 2 days (with aeration) has a ph of 6-6.5, and a wonderful all-around nutrient balance (NPK is around .8-1.4-.6 plus lots of micronutrients). I have used it directly on even young annuals as well as trees and fruiting shrubs with great success. You can simply add chicken waste for more nitrogen for greens or leave it longer for stronger (aeration is key though).

I have six ducks all different breeds (Silver Appleyard, Rouen, Buff Orpington, Blue Swedish, Welsh Harlequin, White Layer) they all love to spend the day swimming and so far they eat EVERY pond plant I have put in/around their pond, even established Yelliw Iris. I have ended up "fencing off" (with Tenax plastic hardware cloth) sections for the plants in the pond and elevated the pond's bog filter so the ducks can't get to my bog plants. I have found that between the bog filter, the plants in the pond, and a "mechanical filter box" (I made from a heavy duty tote box and clean twice a month), my pond's water stays fairly clean and clear, and I am not wasting water by having to constantly drain their pond. I too am thinking of adding "reed type pond plants" to my pond. After reading the comments above I will give the cattail a try, albeit fencing it off until it can grow and become established. I forgot to mention my pond is 15x10x3ft. My older ducks always come to the side of the pond when I come to sit there...they are hoping "Mama" will throw them a Water Hyacinth treat. 😊 The first photo is just after I built the pond so the water is a bit "foggy" because of the pea gravel dust.

Hi Carrie,

I just discovered your post.  Welcome to Permies.

Jay Angler wrote:Hi All,

Has anyone got any more experience with ducks to add to this thread? Has anyone used a rotating paddock system with Campbell/Runner- type ducks and can identify some successes/failures of their system so that I can learn from that?  My friend is hassling me because my duck habitat lacks good swimming facilities, but we have heavy predator pressure (flying and land-based) and I hate to loose more of my feathery friends through the learning-curve while I figure it out. I've got 3 birds in what is essentially a portable cage on grass that moves twice a day but they only get buckets of water - no swimming pool.

Thanks

We have 8 Khakis on 1/3 acre, and use a paddock system that I have been putting together with a bit of trail and error.  For fencing, we finally figured out that 1/2 cattle panels for a foundation are easiest to use, durable, and work when the sun doesn't shine or the power goes out.  they are too high for the ducks to easily fly over - though if they felt threatened by something inside the enclosure, they could fly over it - and too rigid at the bottom for them to be able to push underneath.  The overall strength of the panel makes it impossible for them to pile up on it at one spot to push it down and climb over, World War Z style like they can with one of those portable electric fences that are so popular with the homesteaders these days.  I stretched poultry wire across the lower 3/4 of the panel, so they cannot 🦆 between the wires.  Each 8 foot section is easy to move to where you need it, ties together with other panels utilizing a bit of baling twine, or wire if you need something a little more permanent - or need to turn a panel section into a gate.

We use these panels to move the birds around the garden, and take advantage of their eating habits.  There are several plants that we have found so far that the ladies will either not eat, or will only eat conditionally .. and I am always eager to experiment and find another plant that they don't care for.  To date the list includes:  Corn and wheat, once established.  They may eat emerging plants, or nibble the tips When they are still tender,  but once it has gotten started, they are not so interested in it.  They enjoy taking shelter in our corn and grazing weeds, and hunting grasshoppers.  They ignore violets completely, as well as some black lovage that was growing wild in their enclosure.  They will ignore ragweed and poison ivy, and any woody vine.  When there was nothing for them to eat aside from peanuts and sweet potatoes, they did not eat peanuts, or sweet potatoes.  I have seen them eat some morning glory leaves when they were very hungry, but I do have to hand weed those, for the most part:  If they can have access to them when they are emerging, like many other things, they can keep them under control.  Peas, beans, and cowpeas can be grown with ducks, provided that the tender bits are above duck height.  They love the leaves, but wont eat the vines .. so train them up, and they will weed around your plants for you.  To date, NO cucurbit has survived their attention.  Grow your melons, pumpkins, cucumbers and squash AWAY from your duckies.  I managed to sneak a tromboncino squash up a trellis last year, and they did not consume the vine .. it is worth further experimentation.  Alliums seem to be mostly safe - a duck may take a nibble to find out if they like them or not, but the interest ends there.  About the only hazard onions and garlic have is being trampled - so space them wider than normal, and they should survive.  The mulberry trees that you are planting near your alliums (or was that the other way around?) will be OK so long as they are established, and the tender bits are above duck height .. the birds will appreciate the shade and the opportunity to bug hunt .. and your alliums will appreciate the sulfur content of the leaf litter.

I just planted our second crop of corn for the year, and have put some of our generic cover crop mix in, in the interest of 'picking my weeds':  Daikon radish, sugar beet, sunflower, safflower and buckwheat.  By harvest time, I should have an idea about which of those plants are on the menu as well.

How effective are ducks ate eliminating grasshoppers?  Watch a feeding frenzy here:


I tried some other things before hitting on cattle panels with poultry wire .. observe how quickly and easily ducks can bypass obstacles here:


Even before the cattle panel fencing, we knew that we were on to something, using ducks to weed among certain plants.  Here they are working a small patch of garlic, and you may note the spacing.  Provide more spacing, to allow chubby little waddlers to get between your plants:

I am also constructing a biodiverse pond. I know water hyacinths breaks down duck poo and uses it to grow. Ducks also like eating everything. So I used high tubs, cut out center of bottom, placed rocks inside then put my hyacinths inside tubs. I have a 16x32 pond and I have 5 tubs full of hyacinths. The rest I placed in the pond for ducks the pond was half full of plants and by next day, you could find one plant except what’s in the tubs. So if I were you, find tall planters(we reused our cattle protein tubs once empty), to put plants in.