Safe herbs And plants for duckies

[Kmoreau]

I am looking at building a new duck pen at my new house, it's going to be black iron fencing, and they will have a pool, and a dog house inside. I dont have any predator issues, My entire backyard is fenced, and my dogs tend to keep any predators away, not to mention my Pekins are huge!!! They free range in the fenced yard with no issues.

Around the new pen, I would like to put in a garden, I would really like herbs, and flowers to help keep bugs and smell to a minimum. No to mention, the pool will be draining into the gardens, a la natural fertilizer.

Does anyone know of safe or harmful plants that can not be with in a ducks reach. I know zero fruit trees... And i cant grow grapes, i see alot of people on here do ( between dogs and not the right climate) But anything else would be helpful, I'm kinda clueless.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Are you going to fence in the garden to keep the dogs and ducks out? My ducks and dogs would smash down anything I try to plant so I have now gone to planting flowering shrubs. you might want to look into native shrubs and wild flowers also.
found this post in the archives it may help too.


Our ducks have access to our yard/garden when we are home, and pretty much all of our landscaping plants hold up well with the ducks. We have hostas, many different daylilys, iris, maiden grass, pompass grass, rose bushes, comfrey, lavendar, purple coneflower, black eyed susans, bee balms, zinnas, tomatoes, gourds, spiderwort, rose of sharon, blue spruce (under 3') and they birds are never any worse for the ware and we never really notice much damage to the plants from the birds, but they aren't in the pens with them, and only out when we are home, and they have access to the entire yard and even the dog-yard if I put the dog in the house.

New yard plants for 2011 includes: Pink Hyacinth Bean (for the foliage/non-edible), Bamboo (as a screen between our house and the neighbor to the back.) Mile long green beans, hollyhocks, and several different herbs, but up in pots on the patio, and we are going to try calendula in the yard, and see if the birds are too hard on it.

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[fisharescary]

marigolds are cheap and easy to grow, provide a nice fresh smell, repel some insect pests, and are not only safe for poultry but the petals help give the egg yolks a deeper more pleasing color. Only downside is that they're annuals,, so you'd have to replant from year to year.

Lettuces and greens, of course, except for spinach. I'm planting kale now for the human and duck enjoyment. Another thing that doesn't last long, but they can be planted twice a year in mild climates at least. And leaf lettuce can re-grow after cutting.

Peas look pretty when they flower, and of course they are popular with both humans and ducks. They grow vertically, so they won't take up much space! (certain varieties grow well in fall, and it is time to start planting them now or very soon). I think I am going to try to train peas up the sides of the duck pen to make it more attractive, but we'll see if they nibble them to death or not....

According to the Ultimate List of Duck treats up under the duck sticky, pansies are fine to feed them. A perennial or a self-seeding annual, so plant once and you probably won't have to again. Not sure if they're fragrant, but they are pretty and also edible by humans along with Violas, Johnny Jump Ups and Violets (scientific genus name Viola). Another thing I'm planting right now in my landscaping

Clover smells nice, and they apparently enjoy it. If you don't already have a more common kind in your lawn, plant a more flamboyant one in the garden?

No alliums (onions, garlic, leeks).

Why no fruit though?

 

[Kmoreau]

Oh it's a typo, I didn't mean to say no fruit, I meant no citrus!!! Which I'm kinda grumpy about cause I love lemon and lime trees.

 

[grawg]

I planted some sweet potato slips in my duck pen. I was hoping the ducks would leave them alone until they got more established and it almost worked until this past weekend and the 24 hours of rain. Apparently everything tastes better sprinkled with rain. Next year I will start the slips just outside their pen and downhill from the kiddie pool drain field. The idea being the vines will grow up/through the fence and give the ducks plenty of tender shoots/greens to nibble.