Ducks, Geese or Neither

   / Ducks, Geese or Neither #1  

Kyle_in_Tex

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East Central, Texas
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I would like to establish some ducks or geese on my pond but I don't live on my land yet. Would anyone prefer one over the other? My pond is about 3 acres, the main body is roughly 150ft x 500ft. The county road is about 400 ft away. Will they stay? Do I have to feed them? How often? There are some wild birds that use the pond too.
Should I wait until I live there to start a "flock"?
Are they detrimental to any type of fish population?
Kyle
I want to rotenone and start fresh with a "managed" bass and perch fishery. Maybe a few catfish.
Thanks for any input,
 
   / Ducks, Geese or Neither #2  
One word on ducks, "not on your life!" /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

You can move one duck into a pig pen and the pigs will leave because of the mess.
 
   / Ducks, Geese or Neither #3  
Neither,

They are very, very messy.

A neighbor up the road has the ideal waterfowl in his pond.
They are decoys.
They behave well and look great, even close up.

Another neighbor has the real thing, he errected a fence to keep them away from his house.

Your milage may vary.
-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
   / Ducks, Geese or Neither #4  
I will agree with NEITHER!!! What a mess!
 
   / Ducks, Geese or Neither #5  
Kyle,
I have Mallard ducks. They are not messy. The only time they even come close to making a mess is when they molt twice a year, just end up with some feathers blowing around. My ducks eat the mosquito larvae in the pond and break up the horse manure by kicking it apart to eat the grain out of it, makes it nice in the pastures to not have to pick it up or spread it. I feed mine scratch twice a day and that's the only time they really make any noise. They are fun to just sit back and watch.

My suggestion would be to wait until you move in and treat the pond, then get a few hatchlings in the spring and watch them grow. I feed my young ones Manna Pro Start and Grow for about the first month and boy does that stuff sure make them big. My ducks are about twice the size of the wild ones that stop over. I have cats and perch in my pond and the ducks don’t bother them.

I have wild geese visit my pond frequently and would never keep any around. They’re noisy and hiss at me when I get close, but eat out of my hand. Their poop looks like puppy poo and is everywhere.

Just my opinion,
 
   / Ducks, Geese or Neither
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks for the feedback, I think I'll wait until I move in. The pond will be about 700 ft from my home.
Kyle
 
   / Ducks, Geese or Neither #7  
Kyle,

No to ducks. No way, no how. A couple would be fine I guess, but a "flock" will cause problems with your pond. The excess nitrogen from the waste will result in filamentous algae (the big floating mats you often see) or excess rooted vegetation. I have seen many, many ponds with problem waterfowl populations, however, most have been smaller than the one you're talking about.

Geese are sometimes used to keep comorants away and are pretty successful at it from what I've seen.

Question: Why rotenone the lake? Do you know what's in it? Most times an existing fish population can be completely turned around just by proper management. Rotenone is expensive and the amount required is directly proportional to the volume of water in the lake.
 
   / Ducks, Geese or Neither #8  
Geese tend to be a bit aggressive, and can really hurt if they bite you. Ducks are fun to watch, and if you keep it to a few you won't find them messy.
Now, if you pen them up in a chicken coop, that's a different story! But out on pasture or near a pond, they are fine.
 
 
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