Ducks and gardens??????

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Beratzlaff

Beratzlaff

In the Brooder
5 Years
Feb 26, 2014
19
0
22
Spokane Washington
Right now I have 3 Cayugas (two females and one male) and one Khaki Campbell female and I am thinking about starting a garden in the spring. As of right now I only have raspberries in my back yard and they didn't seem to bother them this summer but I wanted to know how they will do with an entire garden.
 
Beratzlaff said:
Right now I have 3 Cayugas (two females and one male) and one Khaki Campbell female and I am thinking about starting a garden in the spring. As of right now I only have raspberries in my back yard and they didn't seem to bother them this summer but I wanted to know how they will do with an entire garden.
Click to expand...
They will flatten anything growing and won't be able to help it. lol best to put up some kind of fencing chicken wire would even work, then when garden is done for the year let them in for the left over and bugs. I throw anything edible in bug form over the fence to mine they line up for it..
 
They touch the garden, it dies. Funny, I thought ducks would be good when I got them. Oh, they eat slugs and poop fertilizer, perfect! Once they hatched, and grew a bit, I walked them over and they just trampled in seconds
 
Thanks! do you think it would detour them enough to do raised beds? even if i put an animal guard like the small spikes around the edge? i am really trying to avoid putting up a fence if i can :/
 
I'm pretty sure fence is the best answer. Somehow I've managed to "train" mine not to go in the garden or pool. I'm really not sure how looking back.. if I'm in the garden watering, they follow me only to the edge now. Pool, same idea except finally they stay on grass only and no poop on deck
 
Our ducks love the garden, and seem not to do too much damage. They like to forage while my wife weeds. (They also seem to enjoy it when I rake the yard – I think they think I'm just a big duck foraging, and they wander around wiggling their beaks through the leaves.) But there's only three of them, and we don't plant anything to delicate. Tomatoes, zucchini, peas (and ducks love peas...)
 
I have had success with using short 2' high plastic fencing on short 3' metal stakes. I used the black plastic square fencing which is hardly noticable. This is easily removed at different times of year, or simply open a "gate" to let them in to help when appropriate. I also use raised beds (for my back's sake) and this will not stop them from taking bites out of the kale and cabbages. As Miss Lydia said, at the end of the season, they do a wonderful job of helping to clean up and fertilize. I live up in northwest Washington state and was amazed at the size of slugs that live up here. Now after several years, I rarely see the big ones, and the ducks can spot the little ones just hatched. I have only had 3 birds, but now have added 4 more who will be working for me next year.
 
I wouldn't let them in your garden. Before I fenced mine off the ducks at the bell peppers right off the plant! Didn't leave me any tomatoes either.
 
txcarl1258 said:
I wouldn't let them in your garden. Before I fenced mine off the ducks at the bell peppers right off the plant! Didn't leave me any tomatoes either.
Click to expand...

:lau. Sorry, I had to laugh when I pictured someone finding zero tomatoes in their garden.
I was searching to see how my ducks will treat my garden. I guess I'm in need of a fence now
 
My Runners are fine in perennial gardens - blueberries, kiwi, even the garlic for short periods of time. But tender plants get stepped on. And sometimes they will nosh on things like cabbage.

I also now grow lettuce in railing planters for a variety of reasons.
 

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