We havent had much luck with ducks and geese

[dixiegal62]

We have pretty good size pond, about an acre and a half and have been trying to keep ducks and geese on it. We always lose the ones sitting on nests.Our pond connects to a creek that's very wooded and swampy and impossible to search for nests.We have one goose and one duck left and 3 wild Canada geese that adopted us a few years back on our pond now and I would love to try again but don't want anymore deaths. How do y'all with larger areas keep your foul safe. Do you build houses for them, lock them up at night? Snakes are a big issue and the thought of them getting in the houses scares me. We kill water moccasons every year and honestly I wouldn't go near a house near the pond with a 10 foot pole. I don't think mine would go into anything. We did try making a raft for them and putting it in the middle for them to nest one but they would have nothing to do with it and its sat empty for years.

 

[Amiga]

I think you have discovered some of the concerns about domestic waterfowl and ponds. They just don't necessarily go well together.

If you like domestic ducks, perhaps you could consider getting some that you could keep in a good, predator-resistant setup, and forget pond access. Most domestics don't need a pond, just relatively clean water to drink and bathe in.

If what you want most is to see waterfowl on your pond, I would suggest you plant a feed plot and attract wild waterfowl, which are much, much better adapted to surviving outdoors unprotected.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

X2 to what Miss Lydia says.
We have a nice sized duck pond on the far edge of our 5 acres, but I keep the ducks far away from that. It is on the edge of a large, wooded field with no houses. If they found the pond they would never come home.

I know that some people have success with floating houses, but I don't think that would solve the problem of them disappearing when they are on the nests.

I would like to, eventually, build a natural swimming pool in the yard that the ducks are fenced in, but this year is all about expanding the current lodging, next year will be about making it fancy.