Is this natural pond enough to support ducks?

[corriemartin]

I think I'll add onto this thread rather than start a new one, but I have questions about ducks and natural ponds, a few of which have already been answered in this thread.

We have a pond on our property (spring-fed), but it's quite a trek from the farmyard area where our ducks will be mostly living, and it seems a shame to not let them experience the joy of real swimming. Is it possible to escort the ducks TO the pond, and then once they're there, get them to come back. If I were a duck, I could imagine not wanting to leave.

Once they know it's there, will they always keep wanting to go there themselves, without supervision, if they're free-ranging in the farmyard area, or will they be pretty content with the wherever they are?

Is it better (ie, safer) to have all the underbrush and weed trees cleared from the edges of the pond, or does it not really matter a whole lot?

Do snapping turtles eat full-sized ducks? (I don't know that we actually have snapping turtles).

Any other advice?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes they pull them under an drown them. A friend showed me a you tube video of a snapping turtle drowning a full size duck. How anyone could stand by and watch that?

 

[corriemartin]

Yes they pull them under an drown them. A friend showed me a you tube video of a snapping turtle drowning a full size duck. How anyone could stand by and watch that?

Not me! I'll have to ascertain whether there are snapping turtles or not.....

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you go on you tube there are ways to bait that draws the snappers in where you can get rid of them.

 

[corriemartin]

My main questions were about whether I could herd the ducks down there, and if they would come back again.....

 

[Miss Lydia]

Many have problems getting their ducks off the pond once introduced to it. That will have to be your decision. Depending on the size of your pond I heard one tactic was having two people on either side and using a rope to pull along the top of the water behind the ducks to get them out. And someone else go into their small boat. Kayak may work.