Lawn per square footage needed per duck?

nao57

Crowing
Mar 28, 2020
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So, I tried to ask this a different way but didn't get any takers. This isn't the same thing as asking about space requirements for 'housing' and health. I want to approach it from grass sustainability, grass' ability to regrow and replenish itself based on trying to recover what its lost consistently being slightly less than how much the ducks are eating.

I'm wondering how much lawn per square footage you need to support each duck, during a normal growing year (everything except winter)?

If the lawn is always growing then that's a plus. But maybe I'd have to also partition them to spots that are less 'mowed'. And they would be natural ruminants which could up the lawn health and growth rate also. But I'm also in zone 5 of the grow zones. (Utah).

I bet a lot of people are actually interested in this topic. The idea is to try to become more self sufficient by trying to push more grass usage and less feed usage. And lower feed usage would also help make more feed available for others with needs. This is a necessary question.

Thanks for any thoughts on this.
 
I don't think that ducks actually eat grass. They love to run around in it and forage but as far as eating I'd say not so much. It's nice and soft for their feet too.
 
My one of my ducks eats grass, if I feed it to him by hand. He’s a weirdo though!

My experience with duckies is that they hang out near the water, and destroy the grass in that area. My ducks have lots of space, but won’t use it unless I make them go there by penning them up, or feeding them in a different location.

I have a few good foragers that will explore, but they go off on their own, away from my other sub-flocks.
 
My ducks don’t really go for the grass, but my rabbit will lay waste to it. The ducks dig their bills in and upturn the turf to get to the mud. They’ll also go for the dandelion leaves. Sometimes they’ll peck at the ornamental grasses just because they wiggle and my ducks like shiny/interesting things.

but if you want a small lawn mower who can also be a great protein source for yourselves and your pets, plus excellent cold fertilizer, a rabbit might be a good choice.
 
Ducks aren't big grazers, but geese are! How do you feel about geese?

How much lawn space do you have? The ducks I had roamed the yard (I live on 12 acres in the country) hunting for bugs and anything they could catch. I watched them swallow Leopard frogs whole and nibble away at the mud around the edge of the pond (3/4 acre). I'll never understand why people without a large supply of water on hand get ducks. They need water to eat, they even sleep in the water given the right circumstances.
 
Most of the damage I have seen from the ducks has been them drilling into the ground for goodies. I have noticed mine will eat different roots or grasses but I have planted barley and other stuff in it. But when they are done with the area they will keep going until the who area is toast. If there is any type of standing water forget it they will dig to china and back or until they find a different spot that is interesting to them.
 
I don't understand. Lots of Youtube videos say and show them eating grass.

And it looks like you guys say they don't.

???
 
I mean. Mine don’t. I believe that some people’s do. And mine are runners which were sold to me as “good foragers.” They are when it comes to creepy crawlers in the ground for sure!

but I do find they stick to a very small area even if given full access to the property. They conquer it and raze it to the ground, then dig, then trample, then move on. Maybe a tractor would help with that? though moving the water every day would be a bit of a chore.
 

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