Ducks or other waterfowl as pest control in cranberry bogs?? Need Help Brainstorming! :)

[m1chelle1]

Well, I wouldn't worry so much about the ducks eating the cranberries as much as them messing up the growth and dumping too much fertilizer on them... Not too familiar with growing cranberries, but know they float on top of the water in "bogs"... Not sure how much current there might be in a cranberry bog... Or what kind of pests they actually have. At any rate, it is not the same situation as a rice paddy or grape vineyard. I would seriously do some homework before turning a bunch of ducks in there, especially on a permanent basis. No one wants salmonella in the cranberries.

idk why everyone had this reaction to ducks around produce.

The USDA has very strict produce washing standards for ALL produce, including organic. People dont get sick off of produce because ducks were present whilst growing, they get sick when that produce is either 1 not washed properly prior to sale. or 2 that produce was exposed to fecal matter after the washing, which would be during storage or transportation.

What does everyone think is in manure compost? Roses and daisy's? Well, maybe those things are in there, mixed with Animal manure. Poop. Animal poop. All of a sudden we dont want to eat produce that was exposed to some animal poop at some stage, reality check, we've all been eating this produce. Our whole lives. And a lot of it is grown in some sort of animal manure.
Whats worse, is when were eating inorganic chemicals, leeching into our produce from all of these non-organic farms using pesticides and herbicides, leeching into our water. But somehow this is ok.

anyway.

 

[m1chelle1]

The key with successful weeder/insect control waterfowl seems to be management. You can't throw a flock into a field and leave them all year: you have to rotate them daily, and keep an eye on them to make sure they're not doing more harm than good.

As for cranberries specifically ... probably? I know organic strawberry farms use geese.

this would be my exact plan. they wouldnt be free-ranging in the cranberry bogs. it would be a controlled release for periodic times, also monitored. And hopefully trained well to respond to stimuli. So i can get those duckie out when i need them to be
I have a whole plan, i just wondered if anyones seen them around cranberries, specifically. i knew it was a long shot. not very many people grow cranberries

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

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ps://youtu.be/2p0xmfx-JHw
Hopefully link works. I'd say cranberry would be similar to grapes. Alot of what I read is if the plant is well established they leave it alone. They might nibble on what falls to the ground but I don't think they'd seek out the berries when theres plenty of tasty bugs about. They usually have the ducks out in rice feilds multiple times until they flood it. I love my muscovys but agree while they are good at pest control, they are sort of like a bull in a china shop trying to squeeze between plants.

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

htt

ps://youtu.be/2p0xmfx-JHw
Hopefully link works. I'd say cranberry would be similar to grapes. Alot of what I read is if the plant is well established they leave it alone. They might nibble on what falls to the ground but I don't think they'd seek out the berries when theres plenty of tasty bugs about. They usually have the ducks out in rice feilds multiple times until they flood it. I love my muscovys but agree while they are good at pest control, they are sort of like a bull in a china shop trying to squeeze between plants.

 

[bluemerle]

Keep us updated if you do decide to bring in waterfowl! I'm sure it can be done - just an issue of ironing out the details!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

idk why everyone had this reaction to ducks around produce.

The USDA has very strict produce washing standards for ALL produce, including organic. People dont get sick off of produce because ducks were present whilst growing, they get sick when that produce is either 1 not washed properly prior to sale. or 2 that produce was exposed to fecal matter after the washing, which would be during storage or transportation.

What does everyone think is in manure compost? Roses and daisy's? Well, maybe those things are in there, mixed with Animal manure. Poop. Animal poop. All of a sudden we dont want to eat produce that was exposed to some animal poop at some stage, reality check, we've all been eating this produce. Our whole lives. And a lot of it is grown in some sort of animal manure.
Whats worse, is when were eating inorganic chemicals, leeching into our produce from all of these non-organic farms using pesticides and herbicides, leeching into our water. But somehow this is ok.

anyway.

Very

 

[BreanneRN]

idk why everyone had this reaction to ducks around produce.

The USDA has very strict produce washing standards for ALL produce, including organic. People dont get sick off of produce because ducks were present whilst growing, they get sick when that produce is either 1 not washed properly prior to sale. or 2 that produce was exposed to fecal matter after the washing, which would be during storage or transportation.

What does everyone think is in manure compost? Roses and daisy's? Well, maybe those things are in there, mixed with Animal manure. Poop. Animal poop. All of a sudden we dont want to eat produce that was exposed to some animal poop at some stage, reality check, we've all been eating this produce. Our whole lives. And a lot of it is grown in some sort of animal manure.
Whats worse, is when were eating inorganic chemicals, leeching into our produce from all of these non-organic farms using pesticides and herbicides, leeching into our water. But somehow this is ok.

anyway.

Well, guess I hit a nerve there! Okkkkkk.... Hope that rant refreshed you! Not so much concerned about the fertilizer poisoning people as it may poison the plants. Too much fertilizer is not a good thing... Also, since it is a water plant (unlike grapes), how much will the swimming around, ducking and diving disrupt or uproot the growth? Many people on this site know a lot about ducks. Few people (including me) know anything much about growing cranberries. All I said was do your homework before you turn a bunch of ducks out in the cranberries... Find someone that knows something about what happens to cranberries when you do that. Since cranberries grow in very few places, I am making the assumption that they have very specific needs that must be met for them to grow well, prosper, and make a decent crop. If you want that to happen, you will have to find someone who grows or has grown cranberries or research and read up on it. Unless, of course, your real goal is to raise ducks. In that case, you are in the right place.! Welcome! And sorry I offended you.

 

[m1chelle1]

Well, guess I hit a nerve there! Okkkkkk.... Hope that rant refreshed you! Not so much concerned about the fertilizer poisoning people as it may poison the plants. Too much fertilizer is not a good thing... Also, since it is a water plant (unlike grapes), how much will the swimming around, ducking and diving disrupt or uproot the growth? Many people on this site know a lot about ducks. Few people (including me) know anything much about growing cranberries. All I said was do your homework before you turn a bunch of ducks out in the cranberries... Find someone that knows something about what happens to cranberries when you do that. Since cranberries grow in very few places, I am making the assumption that they have very specific needs that must be met for them to grow well, prosper, and make a decent crop. If you want that to happen, you will have to find someone who grows or has grown cranberries or research and read up on it. Unless, of course, your real goal is to raise ducks. In that case, you are in the right place.! Welcome! And sorry I offended you.

You didnt offend me. I apologize if i came off that way. I was just trying to provide some information on the process, so that maybe now you wouldnt be so concerned about a few ducks and some duck poo on cranberries, thats all. And ive been getting that reaction a lot from others, so im just confused as to why its such a huge deal.
Its a common myth that cranberries are water plants. They are in whats called "bogs" but thats because its essentially a recces in the ground that contains the established plants. This bog gets filled with water to preserve the plants in the winter, and also around harvest. It is rarely flooded, as you seen in the ocean spray commercials
Thank you for your concern and input. I do appreciate any responses that get the brain juices flowing. I am trying to brainstorm all different options, and consulting duck experts such as yourself, does help me.
I do know about cranberries, i just dont know about ducks AND cranberries together. I suspect i may need to conduct a test and see for myself how it goes

 

[m1chelle1]

htt

ps://youtu.be/2p0xmfx-JHw
Hopefully link works. I'd say cranberry would be similar to grapes. Alot of what I read is if the plant is well established they leave it alone. They might nibble on what falls to the ground but I don't think they'd seek out the berries when theres plenty of tasty bugs about. They usually have the ducks out in rice feilds multiple times until they flood it. I love my muscovys but agree while they are good at pest control, they are sort of like a bull in a china shop trying to squeeze between plants.

this is truly my hope, too!! Yes, ive seen many of these videos, and it does make me think, with the right planning, and maybe even some duck training, this could work well. I wouldnt necessarily just have them in the bogs when theyre flooded (the bogs are dry more often than flooded) its a common myth that cranberry bogs spend the whole year flooded, and they arent actually an aquatic plant, although they can survive extended periods of flooding
I appreciate your response!

 

[bluemerle]

For what it's worth, waterfowl poop doesn't seem to 'burn' plants the way that cow etc. manure will. I've dumped a lot of goose & duck fertilizer on my plants and they've only thrived in response.