raising ducks on a creek

[Wifezilla]

DO NOT TELL MY DUCKS ABOUT IT OR THEY'LL WANT TO EMIGRATE!!

Are you kidding? Your ducks are so spoiled they would never leave! LOL I think they know they have it good

 

[Bleenie]

Here's a picture of mine(somewhat flooded), the ducks go right to it when they get out of the pen. we live at the bottom of a big hill so ours in spring-fed, there's 4 big streams & falls i can think of right now that come down to it. the ducks mostly stay in the deep parts though. I had to shuffle the newbies to the water since they didnt want to go in...they were strickly kennel-kept before i got them, never saw a lot of water. A lot of clover-type stuff grows in it too & its full of creek critters so the ducks get lots of extra 'treats' out of it.

 

[berdlips]

Looks like you have a little piece of heaven there. Your first pic looks like a beautiful painting. Perty children too

 

[farmin'chick]

Another vote for putting an ad on Craigslist -- based on your location, a lot of folks would probably like to eat those turtles. There are plenty of folks here who do. You could offer free turtles to those who want them to eat, and let them catch their own.

 

[havenonhazen]

WHat do you do about predators along a wild creek? We share a creek with neighbors and They lost their ducks to raccoons, etc. We just moved here and kept ducks in raccoon territory before, but we did not have a creek to entice them. Our creek is flooding now with the rain but in the summer it should settle down...I'm thinking of putting up poultry wire on the other side of the creek. Would it work to let them access the creek during the day time for baths and then shut them into a secure pen for the dark hours when the wild thing roam? We do have 2 dogs which would help warn us of predators but they will be fenced away from the ducks. I would only have a small flock of ducks, maybe 4...I use them for organic insect control in my garden.

 

[Aboyd]

i'm planning on getting ducks in the next few months so i'm thinking about where to set them up on the farm. we've got a 2 acre pond but it's FULL of snapping turtles who have an overwhelming tendency to eat the ducklings. they don't bother the wild goslings (we've seen geese actually fight the turtles for their babies and win, so maybe that's why) but every time my father tried to keep ducks as a child they were eaten almost instantly upon reaching the pond.

we have noticed lately, however, that a couple of wild ducks are raising their ducklings down on the creek until they are big enough that the turtles leave them alone, and then happily moving up to the pond. i was wondering if anyone has tried to raise their domestic ducks on a creek before? i've got a lovely spot on one of the creeks that i can easily set up a large fenced area around, but i don't know if this will work in the long run.

any ideas or experiences?

I have 11 domestic ducks . They live on my creek. It's flooded today and they love it. They can even swim against the current effortlessly. But yes you can. I worried they would take off but they don't. We have a duck house for them down by the creek.

 

[Sosalty]

Great thread! I thought domestic ducks would wash away during floods on a creek. Makes sense that most could avoid that, mine seem to love their pond and stay in close to it even though there's a creek 75 yds below with loads of predators. Trap 1 Trap 2
As a kid, dad & I would make and trap snappers as we wanted to enhance fishing. Trap 1 the snappers are just looking for a place to sun. Trap 2 they search for the fish remains you suspend within, and their weight flips 'em in. They are pricey online but you can see the concept and it's not hard to build turtle traps.

I'm warming up to the idea of selling 'em for eating. Hoping our pond is finally snapper free but have seen 'em migrate across the fields so we'll see when weather warms.

That creek is in your garden? Ohhhh you are so lucky. Nobody in England has land like that...except for HM Liz!! I love my little Isle of Wight, I really do and the beer is great and the pubs with the open fires and all the little old men locals who talk about bein in the RAF in the 40s is wonderful butttttttt, darn it sometimes I really envy you Americans. There is just so much land agoing in your country. We thought we had an enormous garden cos it's 250 square foot. Lol. That is like NOTHIN compared to what you guys got!! DO NOT TELL MY DUCKS ABOUT IT OR THEY'LL WANT TO EMIGRATE!!

Yea we Americans are jealous of ya'lls laid back pubs.

There has been land and it's still here for $$, but it's disappearing fast. I bought our 5 acres with 600' wild private creek frontage, for less than we paid for our simple car 15 yrs back. Couldn't do that now. There are problems with litter and neighbor's dogs chasing wildlife and killing pets. With determination that's manageable but may not be in 5 yrs.

 

[Sosalty]

havenonhazen "What do you do about predators along a wild creek? They lost their ducks to raccoons"
And so it can/does happen. We watched a home near us with a 1/2ac pond along a 2 lane hi-way with 11 Pekin ducks. Though it was cleared and mowed around their pond, they lost a duck at least monthly (these ducks were too big for hawks and owls) probably to 'coons who can swim upon their prey. It's possible but maybe impractical to have ducks in a rural creek.

Here's some thoughts:
To be safe or almost safe they would need to be large adult ducks too big to be carried in flight such as Pekin, Muscovy, certain drakes, and possibly some other large breeds. No duck is too big for eagles. These are often standout all white which is a strike against 'em in a wild environment.

To attempt having ducks on a creek, I'd think you'd want at least bushes and/or shelter for ducks to get under but have the area cleared enough so predators can't sneak in close. Bobcats will hunt during the day when nites are frigid. 'Coons and mink aren't deterred by chicken wire. If the creek has 30"deep pools the ducks may dive to escape. Bring ducks in at sunset not just predusk.

I've always thought it gives domestic ducks and wild ground nesters improved chances by intensive trapping and dispatching predators. That doesn't fit everyone's philosophy of managing animals.

This topic isn't often discussed. I'd love to hear about your ducks on a creek. ABOYD, I hope to hear more details about your ducks on a creek!