Want ducks in my pond
- Thread starter AlbertC
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oosik
Epic Contributor
There was a farmer up the river from where I grew up in Omak, WA. He had peacock and guinea fowl. Such a loud bunch of birds - you could NEVER get near his house or outbuildings without them setting up one unholy racket. My dad always went to this fellows place to get peacock tail feathers for tying flies.
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ning
Elite Member
I didn't have peacocks but I tried guinea fowl -- supposed great for eating bugs from the place -- and I agree - noisy.
They took to perching on top of our house and you'd hear them non-stop - che-kook, che-kook, che-kook - 24/7.
I swore I was going to kill them and my wife re-homed them (I suspect that the people who came to get them put them right into the pot).
I'm quite happy with chickens and have been for 25+ years. Almost never see a tick; pretty sure they've eaten them, everyone else around here has ticks.
They took to perching on top of our house and you'd hear them non-stop - che-kook, che-kook, che-kook - 24/7.
I swore I was going to kill them and my wife re-homed them (I suspect that the people who came to get them put them right into the pot).
I'm quite happy with chickens and have been for 25+ years. Almost never see a tick; pretty sure they've eaten them, everyone else around here has ticks.
oosik
Epic Contributor
AlbertC - yours is not a lost cause. You will find it much more rewarding to create an environment on your pond that attracts wild ducks. Do the research - find out the type of environment they most like. You will then get the variety and numbers you seek. My lake is five acres and 80 feet deep right down the middle. I always have ducks coming & going - all summer long.
Example - I found that certain type of waterfowl really like wild rice. The HOURS I spent getting a small patch to grow - the ducks stomped it down and seemed to consume the entire patch overnight. Well - tough toots for them - I'll not do that again. And they so completely clean up every last grain - no wild rice ever regrew.
But throughout a normal year I will see a dozen varieties of waterfowl visit my lake. Some will stay most of the summer - some only come to nest, raise their young and then they are gone. As long as there is open water - sometimes as small as your kitchen table - its usually the Mallards that will be out in that small patch of open water.
Example - I found that certain type of waterfowl really like wild rice. The HOURS I spent getting a small patch to grow - the ducks stomped it down and seemed to consume the entire patch overnight. Well - tough toots for them - I'll not do that again. And they so completely clean up every last grain - no wild rice ever regrew.
But throughout a normal year I will see a dozen varieties of waterfowl visit my lake. Some will stay most of the summer - some only come to nest, raise their young and then they are gone. As long as there is open water - sometimes as small as your kitchen table - its usually the Mallards that will be out in that small patch of open water.
PILOON
Super Star Member
In my youth we had a pair of ducks, Donald and Daisy but it turned out that we really had 2 Daisy's.
Dang things laid eggs all over the place so U had to walk carefully.
They were excellent 'watch ducks' quacking at every arrival.
If you still desire ducks in your pond purchase a couple of hunting decoys and float them in the pond, you should soon have visitors.
Dang things laid eggs all over the place so U had to walk carefully.
They were excellent 'watch ducks' quacking at every arrival.
If you still desire ducks in your pond purchase a couple of hunting decoys and float them in the pond, you should soon have visitors.
oosik
Epic Contributor
Excellent idea - PILOON - so simple, yet brilliant. Since only a few of my visiting types spend much time out in the middle - suggest the hunting decoys be anchored closer in towards any cattail or toolie patches you might have. You could even get fancy. Now that PILOONS idea has been raised - I've seen solar powered decoys that have realistic movements and go about a preset routine quacking loudly. With solar rechargeable lithium ion batteries - they could go about their routine for quite a spell without seeing the sun.
PILOON
Super Star Member
OK, now how about a 'rent a duck' start up business? must be some sort of federal start up grant for that!
oosik
Epic Contributor
From my experience hunting - we used a lot of profile decoys. Size did not seem to be as important and pattern painted on the decoy. We only ever used black & white paint for all breeds of decoys. I'll tell you - a good "set" of profiles could really suck them in. Every bit as good as full bodies. In my days - it was LONG before these solar powered full action models. I'd like to see how a few of these full action models work.
Larry Caldwell
Elite Member
What's your location? If you are in a wet and temperate area, ducks are a great way to diminish slugs and other garden bugs. Feed them and put floating nesting boxes in the pond. They'll stick around.