duck-hardy plants?-land and aquatic

[Ducklove334]

I've been thinking in the next month or so, once I get all the other ducks out of the pen and freeranged, the mallards will have the 30ft x 20ft pen all to themselves, lots of room for 4 ducks

I was thinking of planting some live plants in the pen for shade/nesting purposes, and some aquatic plants for their pond of I decided to take the liner out.

what are some good, fairly cheap plants that arn't toxic, possibly can be bought as seeds that will live through winter, and can withstand a ducks wear and tear?

I ask alot of questions don't I? LOL

 

[Wifezilla]

Well, I am giving red clover a try. I know they like to eat it, but I am not sure how it will hold up. What I have found if there is a plant they will eat, but you need to keep it thriving, you surround the root/stem area with poultry wire and then let the ducks "trim" off anything that pokes through the wire.

 

[Sweetfolly]

- duck-hardy plants!!!

My ducks have destroyed everything I've planted in their run - the Jumbo Pekin, Zelda, will just push her big, fat breast into chicken wire until she bends it enough to reach what she wants. They've even managed to kill the 4-foot-tall Maple trees we planted for shade. Ducks can be very destructive critters.

I have one sunny, dry corner in my duck run and I'm going to try some tall prairie grasses in there next spring - we have some big clumps of it growing along out driveway, and I'm going to transplant it and then keep the ducks locked up for a few days to give the roots a chance to establish themselves.

Otherwise, I'm just going to let my Trumpeter Vines take over the fence to screen off the barren mess they've made of their run.

 

[Wifezilla]

Zelda, will just push her big, fat breast into chicken wire until she bends it enough to reach what she wants.

LOLOL. Clever. EVIL, but clever.

 

[Ducklove334]

Quote:
my ducks love clover too,the field their pen is on used to be a big horse paddock, horse + horse poop = REALLY fertile earth, the clovers have taken over and grow super fast!, even when we mow, within DAYS it shoots back up.

I was thinking pompous grass, a friend had some along his drive way, TOUGH stuff, very hard to pull on and tear, but I want something thats safe for them to nibble on too.

they'd probably kill lilypads in a heartbeat, I think those are pretty lol.

 

[TexasTony]

Hey,
Here's a plant that the ducks won't kill.

Go down to your local garden ridge or home accessories store. They have some lovely plastic plants. Very hardy in all climates, excellent shade year-round. Not good with fire and does fade over time. And, the little secret is that they're already dead, so unlike vampires you can't 'kill' them again (Ok, that can be debated...).

Heck, I've got a 2 ft diameter, 70 ft tall oak tree dying in the duck yard! They are vicious!

Hope you enjoy the humor...

Tony

 

[Ducklove334]

Quote:
you made me choke

ing

I had thought orriginally about plastic plants, but they're hecka expensive!

but I might look into some next time we go to wal-mart

 

[jellybean]

You might try cattail for the pond. I bought a plant (several actually in a pot) that was about 4 feet tall. I didn't see the ducks ever munching on it, but they did dig into the pot and play in the dirt. I put it in my pool, then in the skippy filter. By the very next morning it was completely gone- my goose had eaten it. The whole thing. But I don't think the ducks ate any.

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
You post made me laugh

First I was all like, "Cattail, I can do that!," then I was like, "Oh noes, I have geese too.

"

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Oh No...why didn't anybody tell me all these awful things about ducks before I got mine? Now I' hooked on the little devils. I have only had mine for a week, and they have already stripped the run of all vegetation. Sure am glad for the warning about them killing trees...I was gonna turn em out in the orchard...change of plans!

Would it work to put a metal sleeve around the tree to protect it?