Getting ducks to stay in the pond

[JFL1950]

How can you get ducks to stay in and around a pond?
Ours keep following us home after we place them in the pond and the wife wants sme to get ride of them this weekend.
They keep eating her plants.
I think she doesn't like the male ducks messing with the smaller females.
They are 20 weeks old.

 

[kstaven]

Ducks go where the treats are the best. Only hope I could see is a fence.

 

[bantymum]

Yes you really need a fence!!!!

 

[DuckLady]

Quote:

Plants? What are plants?

And male ducks are bad. My brother in law brought his elderly mother over for Thanksgiving a couple years ago and she was watching the ducks splashing in their pool out back. All of a sudden she stood up and said "OH! Stop them! That one duck is trying to DROWN that one under him!!! Help the duck!!"
I started cracking up and her son had to explain some duck facts of life to her. He was talking to her quietly so as not to embarrass her when we heard her say "I am glad I am not a DUCK!"
We all hit the floor.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

That's a funny story, terrielacy. I think those were my same sentiments when I first started keeping ducks.

My problem is keeping the ducks out of the pond!

There are some plants that ducks will love to eat and some they know to avoid -- poisonous ones or herbs -- they don't like herbs. My advice is to look up which plants deer like to eat and to assume the ducks will eat those same plants. That means you should take care to keep those plants out of reach, and you will achieve peace with your webbed footed friends! Also if you don't have plenty of grass around, they are more likely to chew up landscaping plants.

I also find that my ducks prefer to hang out close to me (or the house if I am inside). If you want to see them use the pond more, spend more time by the pond. Eventually they may prefer the pond to you!

 

[ozark hen]

any years ago I had some geese and they went into the woods and would not get out of the pond...predators got each and every one of them. I am hoping my present ducks do not discover the pond in the woods as I would be terrified of losing them as it is far from the house. Mine stick with their kiddie pool...hope it lasts.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Sorry to hear that ozark hen.

Every night I herd my ducks out of the pond and back into the pen with a rake. I used to use a stick when I had a smaller pond, but now that we have a bigger one, they try to crowd over to one side to avoid being put to bed. The rake is a little more menacing anyway, as it looks like a large "claw."

I heard that there is a duck farmer who gets into a row boat every night to herd his ducks to bed. I'd be afraid of capsizing.

 

[ozark hen]

This pond is way too big for any stick but now very deep, like it has a foot of gunk on the bottom ..if not for that you could walk across it. Not big enough for a boat either. ha ha

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Well, ozark hen, I hope your ducks don't get wander lust like mine have lately. They haven't had any encounters with predators yet, so they are very bold about disappearing over to the forested edge of the property.

 

[ozark hen]

My mallards are five months old now and my muscovies are still youngsters yet. Only the mallards fly around the property now. They are bound to find it as live in a clearing in the middle of 82 acres and they are flying all around now.