How to get Runners to eat bugs.

[Pecknscratch]

Friends of mine who are new to ducks bought Runners because the research they did led them to believe that they would eat bugs and not garden plants.

They have discovered the ducks really like pea plants and don't seem to know that they are supposed to eat bugs.

She asked me yesterday how to train them to eat "natural" duck food and get them off to the feed. So I'm posing the question to the experts here because I've never had ducks before.

 

[sourland]

Sadly, plants are a significant part of 'natural' duck food. The ducks will continue to pillage her garden as long as they have access to the area.

 

[shicks0211]

yep..you can't really train ducks to quit doing what ducks do..my suggestion would be to put a little fence around the plants she doesn't want them to eat. get some meal worms and spread them around away from the garden, and always feed them away from that area..but as long as they can get to it they will. Ducks love peas..the only thing you can do really is try and encourage them to eat elswhere by making sure all the food and treats are somewhere else in the yard.