This may sound strange, but has anyone ever grown a garden for their ducks??

[anonymous99]

I know this is strange, but has anyone ever done it? Growing a garden for your ducks? Obviously growing only certain foods that they can eat. Or is there anything fun that you can make for them?

 

[Isadora]

I know this is strange, but has anyone ever done it? Growing a garden for your ducks? Obviously growing only certain foods that they can eat. Or is there anything fun that you can make for them?

I haven't done a whole garden but I've grown lettuce just for them.

 

[GardenDucks]

I'm thinking about doing exactly that this year--growing food for the ducks in a designated section of the garden.

Last year I planted some buckwheat (mostly as a cover crop to suppress weed growth, in an odd area with bare soil) and just when I was thinking, "hey, maybe I could harvest that buckwheat," the ducks discovered it and devoured it. It was in an area of the yard that they had full access to, but they had ignored the plants until the harvest was ready.

I've seen seed mixes sold for wildlife food plots, designated for ducks/waterfowl--haven't tried that, but considering it. I'm also thinking about other cover crops like oats, or fava beans--but I have this vague recollection of hearing that legumes are bad for ducks--anyone know?

It would seem necessary to fence off the area for a while, to let the plants grow undisturbed to maturity before letting the ducks loose in there. A related idea would be to divide your growing area into several sections, and then rotate the areas that the ducks have access to.

When I let the ducks into my veggie garden for brief visits, they seem more interested in eating the pesky insects than the veggies. I mean, I wouldn't trust them NOT to eat the veggies if I let them stay there all day unsupervised, but it's not their first interest. Last year they obliterated the bugs that were targeting my corn and the cabbage worms on the brassica plants (cabbage/kale/etc). They also love slugs. Organic, chemical-free, pest control--plus protein for the ducks. Win-win. So I felt good about letting them waddle around the garden for brief visits when I was working there. Except--they are clumsy, and they trampled to death some of my melon, corn, and green bean plants which were young seedlings--they weren't intentional about it--just klutzy and totally oblivious to where "I thought" the walking paths were located. I'm thinking next time I'll fence off (temporary fencing) certain areas where I do or don't give them access. There's a delicate balance, that I'm still trying to figure out.

After I removed the final harvest, then I gave the ducks full access to the garden all winter, to eat whatever remained and to replenish the soil nutrients with their fertilizer.

So on one hand, you could grow a garden for your ducks. Or, on the other hand, the ducks could grow a garden for you (pest control and fertilizer).

 

[Mallard_Bantam]

I've grown Tomatoes for my ducks, they go right up and pluck the fruit. I have a theory that because of their ultraviolet vision, they can tell when a green tomato is just about to begin ripening as they would eat some green ones, but noticeably ignore most of the others. Mine also like to eat the leaves off of squash vines, I let them, assuming the plant is large enough, a little nibbling isn't enough to stop the squash vines I've had.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I had a 40x60 garden this year the ducks had free access to. They never really touched any of the veggies because they were too busy picking all the squash, cucumber and Japanese beetles off of my vegetables for me. I think my garden grew this zucchini to thank them for their efforts:

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I had a 40x60 garden this year the ducks had free access to. They never really touched any of the veggies because they were too busy picking all the squash, cucumber and Japanese beetles off of my vegetables for me. However, I think my garden grew this zucchini to thank them for their efforts:
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That’s to funny

 

[BelovedBirds]

I had a 40x60 garden this year the ducks had free access to. They never really touched any of the veggies because they were too busy picking all the squash, cucumber and Japanese beetles off of my vegetables for me. I think my garden grew this zucchini to thank them for their efforts:
View attachment 3391432

That is actually brilliant

 

[BelovedBirds]

I know this is strange, but has anyone ever done it? Growing a garden for your ducks? Obviously growing only certain foods that they can eat. Or is there anything fun that you can make for them?

I mean, I'm going to try it this year, a little veggie patch for them. But tbh they think the existing garden is all for them anyway
Walk around like they own the place