Adding ducks to 5 acre pond?

[dpenning]

Hi duck peeps,

I've been keeping chickens for a bit over a year and am starting to think about ducks. We have a beautiful 5 acre pond and we get wild geese for a few months each year but I would love to have some resident ducks. I'm thinking about putting a dog house out on the island so they would protected from coyotes once they are adult. Can you raise them from babies and move them to that type of environment successfully?

 

[Amiga]

If you want ducks out on the pond, I strongly suggest you put in some food plots and nesting boxes to attract wild ducks.

They have the instincts and ability to fly that will help them avoid predators. Most domestic breeds of duck cannot even fly.

 

[twocrazygirls]

Not ducks- other than the muscovy we have that flows our geese around but we have geese on our pond. We raised the babies until they were old enough to go with our older goose and she now mothers them. They come in at breakfast for some pellets, graze during the day, and then have supper and go out on the water to be safe. So far we haven't lost one but we did lose a goose that was nesting in land the other night way away from the pond. I think with the island you would be good but have you considered geese? We absolutely adore our tolouse and she has been a great mother to the babies we got her. The gander (mate to the female that was just killed) even helps her with the babies. I now know to take all eggs and incubate them and not let the geese set on land. We think it was a racoon.

 

[twocrazygirls]

Ours coming up for their morning breakfast....