Building a natural habitat for ducks/geese in Houston

[jtd002]

I'm new to keeping water fowl as pets but was around it quite a bit as a child. I'm looking to build a pond and stock it with appropriate fish for food (for the birds)and Mallards and possibly a goose. I'm looking for any advice from the pond to the fish to the ducks. Best type of pond? Natural or filtered? Where to get the ducks and/or fish? Any info would be appreciated.

 

[rainplace]

How big of a pong are you trying to make? And how many ducks will be on it?

 

[Soccer Mom]

Hi and welcome to BYC from a fellow Texan! We're a bunch of duck enablers here and everyone would love to help you plan your set up. How about some more specifics. How much land do you have and what is the setting? Urban? Suburban? Rural? Are we talking backyard or pasture land?

Do you have an ordinance or HOA restrictions?

Land type and soil type. Are you in that black gumbo stuff or a nice sandy soil? Flat or rolling terrain? Do you have a site picked out for a pond?

There are some good threads here about folks building ponds for their waterfowl. I know that Wifezilla has done quite a bit in that direction.

Think about your water drainage patterns when designing your pond. They need to be able to get into and get out of the pond, so think about steps. Be aware that any plants you put in will likely become duck snacks. A good way to have "snack fish" for them is to stock your pond with fatback minnows from a bait shop.

Surf around this site and look at photos of everyone's ducks. You'll get a good idea of breeds and can ask about the ones you like. We have a goose forum too and we're a bunch of goose enablers there. I loooooove my geese.

 

[jtd002]

Thanks for the quick response!

My backyard is not particularly large and it is flat but drains well. I live in suburban SE Houston.

I was thinking of maybe two ducks and possibly a goose. Not particularly interested in breeding or laying. Preferably varieties that are not too noisy and docile. (i.e. good pets) I can build a small pond according to the needs of these. I have read that some do not require water but still like to swim. Not sure about size and depth needs.

I figured the water plants would end up being duck food. But what do they like and what grows well? Would they do better with a coop in the garage or outdoors or just roam free? The backyard is fenced with the typical wood fence in the area. 6 feet, I think.

What breeds would be good pets? M&F or bachelor or both female? Where is a good place to buy healthy ducks? Do they need to be chicks in order to imprint?

When grown, I want them to be healthy, happy, well fed and NOT fly into the neighbors yard! It would be nice if I could bring them inside occasionally for a visit.

The yard is a little sandy, so I figured I would need to line it. Should it be filtered?

 

[mberry222]

I would not suggest Mallards for your area unless you want to keep their wings clipped. Chances are they would fly over the fence. If you like the looks of Mallards I would suggest Rouens, they are basically fat Mallards that can't fly. We have a pair and they are the most friendly of all our ducks. Females will be more vocal/louder than males. You can let them roam about the yard during the day, but they need to be locked up in a predator(dogs, racoons, opossums, ect) safe pen at night. Keeping a clean small pond will be the biggest challange. We're still trying to figure that one out. It's difficult to keep anything under a couple thousands gallons clean because waterfowl are so messy! Most duck keepers end up using kiddie pools and dumping them out and refilling them often. They don't really look Natural though!

Good Luck!

 

[rainplace]

So far I'm having luck with the filter suggested by wifezilla. I followed her links to the skippy filter and made one for my pond. I'm having sediment issues, but am addressing that today with the addition of gravel all around the pond. My pond looks murky, but it smells really clean. Fish are able to live in it as long as the ducks don't get to them first

When I have more time I'll post more. Gotta head out.

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

I would use Meyer Hatchery. I reccomend Mallards and Khaki cambells. I woudn't by a canadian goose, because you will buy one, and wake up to thousands ( another flock will find him ).
I would get these breeds ( ducks ) WIld Flying Mallards , Black East indies, Khaki Campbell, and White Pekins.
Good luck

 

[streemers]

you could always dig out the pond you want and use waterproof pond liner. it streches and can be put in any size pond you dig.
i have a large kio pond for my ducks i bought off CL but algie seems to grow on it fast aand it is hard to scrub clean with out getting into it.

for noise i would get 2 males they will be fine if you dont have a female. if noise wont be an issue then 2 female. dont get 1 of each a drake needs more then i girlfriend.

i would go some research on geese before you pick 1 type. some are louder and meaner then others and some can fly very well. I am getting 2 sabastople geese from another byc member and from what i have read (could be wrong) says that they are very quiet and tame. also the pilgrim.

duck weed works good in ponds but might not last long also i but a algie eatting fish in my pond and they help some and the ducks dont eat them because they spend their time stuck to the side and not swimming around.

if you dont want to clip wings threr are a lot of breeds out there.
but dont get calls, mallards or muscovys they all fly very well

 

[Soccer Mom]

Unless you really like the look and don't mind the effort of a pond, a trio of birds will be quite happy with a kid's wading pool. It's easy to rinse out and cheap. Plus you can move it around the yard so no one spot gets waterlogged.

My favorite breed is the Blue Swedish. They are a larger duck, rather docile and not good flyers. Plus they're pretty. My son had a white crested that was a great pet. I recommend some females unless you want to deal with drake behavior. Most drakes need 3-5 females to be content.

As far as geese, choose one of the domestic breeds. Buff geese make excellent pets. Try to get a female.

If you don't want loud, avoid call ducks. They are adorable and look like little toys, but they have their name for a reason.

Ducks do appreciate a place to get out of the elements. How secure their housing needs to be depends on your area. If local cats and raccoons could be a problem, a small coop to close them up at night would be a good idea and they could roam free during the day. If you look on the coop building section, you can see some very little and adorable coops folks have built that would be appropriate for a back yard.

Starting with ducklings is good because they can really bond with your family. A good Texas hatchery is Ideal Poultry, but they have a 10 duck minimum. You might have a good feed store near you than can order them for you, or if you have a friend, y'all can split an order. You can also check craigslist and look there or just look in the want ads in the spring.

 

[jtd002]

Another thing I need to know is what is the best way to introduce my mini doxie to the ducks? She's real nosy and loves to play chase. She barks at something/someone new but gets over that in a few minutes. She is mostly an inside dog, but loves to go outside when we're on the patio. She's not aggressive except with brooms. Don't ask me why. I've had her since she was a puppy and she has never been abused. But if I sweep in front of her she'll hang on to the bristles for dear life!

She has a cage and I thought about putting the cage next to the coop for a while to start the introduction. I just don't want to have two dead ducks from heart failure!