I know there are plants ducks and chickens shouldn't eat, but are there any ducks won't eat? We recently lost the 100+ acre forest beside our property to a new development. The type that doesn't see the value in keeping any trees on the lots. A BEAUTIFUL forest of 100+ yr old trees is now a "field" of dirt and is slowly being built up with tacky, giant "custom" homes that look exactly like every other house. (Sorry about that tangent rant...clearly I'm not thrilled with having neighbors.)
Anyway. We desperately need to plant fast growing evergreen trees along our property line to block out the new, horrible, disgusting view. My chicken/duck yard is along the property line that we need to block off. I don't particularly love Leyland Cypress trees because they're prone to disease and stuff but they grow fast and that's what I need. But my concern is that the ducks will eat them.
Here's a list of plants that the ducks are last winter (not that I fed these to them, they were free ranging):
Camellias - any branches/leaves they could reach
Gardenias - ate all the leaves they could reach
Bearded Irises - ate the leaves down to the ground
Nandina/heavenly bamboo - ate all the bottom leaves
Mexican Heather
Dutch Iris leaves as soon as they sprouted
Also small sprouts of azalea, crape myrtles and hydrangea cuttings I had rooted from my husband's grandmother's house.
The ducks also broke into my vegetable garden last year and ate every leaf off my tomato and jalapeno plants. I know these are supposed to be toxic but the ducks didn't seem to be bothered by them. They do this almost every year, none have ever had a bad reaction as far as I can tell. I can't figure out why people say ducks are safer garden companions. Mine eat EVERYTHING!
Anyway. We desperately need to plant fast growing evergreen trees along our property line to block out the new, horrible, disgusting view. My chicken/duck yard is along the property line that we need to block off. I don't particularly love Leyland Cypress trees because they're prone to disease and stuff but they grow fast and that's what I need. But my concern is that the ducks will eat them.
Here's a list of plants that the ducks are last winter (not that I fed these to them, they were free ranging):
Camellias - any branches/leaves they could reach
Gardenias - ate all the leaves they could reach
Bearded Irises - ate the leaves down to the ground
Nandina/heavenly bamboo - ate all the bottom leaves
Mexican Heather
Dutch Iris leaves as soon as they sprouted
Also small sprouts of azalea, crape myrtles and hydrangea cuttings I had rooted from my husband's grandmother's house.
The ducks also broke into my vegetable garden last year and ate every leaf off my tomato and jalapeno plants. I know these are supposed to be toxic but the ducks didn't seem to be bothered by them. They do this almost every year, none have ever had a bad reaction as far as I can tell. I can't figure out why people say ducks are safer garden companions. Mine eat EVERYTHING!