Looking to get ducks

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Luke B, Jun 29, 2004.

  1. Luke B

    Luke B Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Messages:
    26
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hi, this is my first entry into this forum, i've read through a few of the past Q's and A's and think its a great set up here.

    I'm a bush regenerater and I live in Quakers Hill in western Sydney, i've only just discovered permaculture in the past few months and think its fantastic to have a basic plan to go by and use your own creativity with it.

    i've got my vegie garden set up and now i want to get 2 or 3 ducks for eggs and weeding out pests. my family want indian runners, i've researched them and they look like they'll suit us well. we've got a smallish backyard but enough room for the ducks (i hope). i'm looking for some info on housing size and if they need fencing, the food they eat (i'm soon to get a worm farm and i think they can eat them?) and the amount of water space they need.

    if anyone can help it would be much appreciated
     
  2. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

    Joined:
    May 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,464
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    g'day luke b,

    we provided our ducks with one of those plastic 44 gallon drums cut in 1/2 lenght wise, mostly due to the fact that, that is what the geese had and they shared it. i did need to put in a rock step as we had muscovies and they found it a little deep to get out of.

    a lady doing pc in the brissy 'burbs just supplied her runners with a tray app' 12" x 10" long and wide and app' 3 or 4 "s deep, just that you need to keep it refreshed but her ducks where quiet happy with that.

    she did however provide a lock down area for night time for protection from foxes and other ferels like neighbours cats and dogs.

    you will need to have the area fenced to keep them confined to your place and you will need to protect vege plants especially when young as they tend to trample them as they walk around.

    hope this give you some ideas.

    len 8)
     
  3. Guest

    Yeh, I've heard it said that a duck will survive with just enough water to get its head wet. Whether or not it will be a very happy duck is another matter. For sure you will need to protect them from predators, and you'll need to protect your young plants from the ducks too. Ducks are fun to watch and great to eat! :lol:
    I've never done it but I bet your ducks would thrive on a supplemental feed of worms every now and then. Beyond that I don't know too many other things that you can grow especially for ducks. Sorry enough to say that I've always just given them grain from the feedstore.
     
  4. Luke B

    Luke B Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Messages:
    26
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    thanks for the tips gardenlen and richard. do you know of any books or websites about constructing duck housing? i'm just not sure exactly what they need in there. thanks again
     
  5. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

    Joined:
    May 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,464
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    g'day luke,

    all my ducks had was an old small chest freezer filled with straw that was kept clean, it wasn't big enough so some slept just outside it under the open lid which acted like a patio cover. so maybe you could think of a larger chest type freezer box or even square line fridge, quiet common out here for making duck, goose & chook houses. this pc lady in the 'burbs i think just had cement type pavers and one of the garden shed things over it which she kept maintained in clean order, no windows, and garden shed aren't air tight. chooks like to have a little more but our geese had a lockable compound with roofing iron over the top and lined with knitted shade house fabric on the outside, they lived quiet happily.

    plestny of bedding straw/hay is the way to go. sorry can't help with a link but bet you could near go to your local refuse station and find something very suitable. and of course fridges/freezers are fully insulated.

    the thing is ducks and geese are waterproof.

    len
     
  6. Luke B

    Luke B Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Messages:
    26
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    well we have a few metal sheets we could use for the roof and theres an old buildings material place near by that my brother and i will be going to when we get back from our dads, i guess we'll be looking for an old freezer or we'll be building one out of wood.
    some neighbours of ours look like they're getting rid of a big pile of limestone so i thought a could pile them around the vegie garden and that would attract a bit of food for the ducks aswell as making a nice border.

    thanks again len
     
  7. ruralpeasant

    ruralpeasant Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2002
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hi Luke, ducks don't really need much in the way of housing.Lens chest freezer idea sounds great or just a simple timber and iron construction would be ideal.We keep peking ducks and ours only go into their house on really cold nights.We sank a bathtub in the ground for them as a bit of a pond and also have a large drinking container.Ducks have to be able to at least submerge their heads but a container that size would have to be emptied on a daily basis.
    I can send photos of our setup if your interested.
    cheers Kurt
     

Share This Page

-->