Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Domestic Ducks and Geese for a large tank

rowly, i had 6 ducks in my lake for about 6 months. other than stealing my fish feed, they caused me absolutely no problems (although the white pekings did leave a bit of a mess with their white feathers). i could not find any damage to my shoreline nor my plants along the shore. they were fun to have and to watch. we even hoped they would hatch some young. i'd make sure though that you never plan to feed your fish. domestic ducks and fish feed just won't work. enjoy them!

jim, i shouldn't have to explain nor justify myself; but i will. our ducks were pets. we enjoyed them. when we decided that they had to go, we had dificulty catching them without hurting them in the process. no one in my home "enjoyed" killing them. i apologise if my post read that way. i took the opportunity as a father to teach my teenage son how to use a shotgun. that was the "fun" part. just like catching the lmb with my son is "fun". a 12 guage was the most humane way we could think of to get them into our freezer. we do after all, live on a ranch. we raise a lot of the food we put onto our table, including chickens and turkeys and ducks; so my freezer was where they ended up. that's the last i'll say about it. jb

JB,
Well Spoken.
Ric

Seems like a high level of sensitivity here, for the record, I live on a ranch and do know something about country life.
Jim

Hey Rowly, what's happening with your new critters?
Jim

Jim, I'm been on holidays for a week at home doing some renovations, the duckling are doing great. They are 1 week old today and growing like weeds. I will soon have to move them to sometime bigger than my 4' X 2' plastic container. Question, should I be cleaning the hard crusty coating off their feather as they walk all over each other as some sleep and some still move around? I change the wood shavings every other day but they like to spill the water..... Lastly, the embden geese are twice the size of the rest of the ducklings is this a concern..., they are not aggressive just bigger. Thanks

Rowly

Hi Rowly, glad everything is going well. The basic answer to your question is more room. If they have enough room, the larger Emdens should be OK. I would not handle the birds any more than necessary - the crud on the feathers will come off on its own. If the Geese start to get agressive, obviously you will have to separate them. I think you have a good chance of them getting along if they get more room now - they don't know they are different than each other yet!

Jim, I will open up an area in the garage to create more room for the short time for all the birds. Is this a good time to introduce a small container of open water to intice the birds to swim while still having a heat lamp near by to get warm if wet and cold. This water may encourage the birds to clean themselves? I only have one heat lamp so I'm a little reluctant to remove the embden geese all together at this point in their age at 1 week? What's your experience and thoughts.... Thanks

Rowly

Rowly, it is too soon to let them in water. Also, they are not able to clean themselves with any efficiency at this point. I don't let them in water until they are about 6 weeks old. They will play with the water from your waterers and get damp that way. As far as the heatlamp is concerned, the birds will get as close to the lamp as they need to. You really don't have to worry over much about it at this point. After about 2 weeks, they would really like a treat of some chopped up greens. Anything works, dandeline greens, lettuce, spinach, just chop it up good and spray it with water, they will absolutely love it. You can also try adding some cracked corn to their diet after 4 weeks or so. If they are ready, they will eat it. It's good variety and cheaper than the growth food. My Khakis and Buffs are just about 8 weeks old and are supplying most of their own food foraging around eating grass, seeds and bugs. My first experience with these 2 breeds and sure are beautiful. Also, Khakis are the most prolific layers among ducks, some will lay as many as 365 eggs a year! Keep me posted.
Jim

Great thanks and will do.

Rowly

Rowly, I realized that I should have given you a reason about the water. When hatched by their mother duck, she grooms them with oil from her body and therefore their feathers are "waterproofed". No mother, no oil and dunking them in 10W30 doesn't work.
Jim

Jim, got it...Question about the heat lamps, yesterday I built a 8' X 4' pen and the extra space was truely needed for the 16. The ducks/ 4 embden geese are running around and flapping their wings and just enjoying it and the various sizes of birds is less of a issue for the smaller ducks. However, I moved the heat lamp up to about 18" above the floor resting on top the plywood enclosure along the end sides. At what point do I turn off the heat lamp. If I'm going to move the birds to the island at about 6-7 weeks and build a cage area with access to the lake's water and a built shelter to get them away from the weather and feeding, do I transition them cold turkey so to speak or should I continue to raise the heat lamp until 2' or more and into the 6 week period of time????? Once the birds are comfortable on the island in about 2 weeks (8-9 weeks old) I will take down the chicken wire fence and let them expand into the lake and hopefully have them return to the island nightly and for nesting....Thanks

Rowly

Rowly, harden them off gradually by raising the lamp. At this time of year it is mostly needed at night. You actually have to be careful of overheating them. If they are not bunching up to share warmth then they are fine. At night they like to sleep in a pile and pretty much protect themselves that way. When all is said and done, they are really pretty hardy buggers.
Jim

Jim, great thanks for the info.

Rowly

Rowly, how about an update on your critters. Mine are all released and on their own (except for some cracked corn in the morning).
Jim

Jim, again thanks for your great info., it was very much appreciated. Update, I followed the plan and it worked great. The ducks and geese are now on the island swimming the lake eating the weeds, waterlillies etc and sleeping back on the island at night. I'm "mother goose" so when I bring out the feed to the island, the fowl swim up beside the water bike looking for the hand out of corn and lettuce/cabbage etc. The family loves their company. I bought 10 more ducks that where about the same age that I didn't already have, some chocolate muscovys and muscovy/pekin cross (didn't know they readily did that). I'm hoping with the larger numbers of muscovys that maybe next year I can gather the embden geese,rouen and pekin eggs and put them under the muscovys to hatch and raise as their own. The research I read muscovys are very good brooders of their eggs and young???? Time will tell.....The 24 birds are indeed bringing in other wild ducks and geese to the lake, just last night we had some 100+ Canadian geese vist the area and giving us all that free pond fertilizer to my very clear and infertile lake. HA!HA! Question, at some point I will nedd to find a happy number for all these fowl and the 17+ areas of surface water? Is there a number per acre formula to consider when that time comes? Thanks from the father goose.....

Rowly

Hi Rowly, glad to hear everything is going well. When it comes to brooding time, you may be surprised to find that the brooding instinct will probably kick in after the hens have been laying eggs for a while. It almost seems that the early eggs are practice and at a point in time they begin to accumulate eggs for brooding. The nesting cylinders are very effective lures (even for wild ducks). As far as numbers are concerned, with 17 acres you are no where near overpopulation. Your bigger issue will probably be roosting capacity on your island. The birds will leave the island to seek relief on their own and will be subject to predation at that point. Duck books will quote large numbers per acre, but I don't think going above 10 or so is a good idea if you want a healthy margin. If your pond is receiving fresh water constantly, it also could support more birds. At this point you should be seeing some adult type activity such as courting and showing off - they do mature early.
Jim

Jim, thanks for the info. The lake is sitting on a large vein of gravel-thus ground water moves thru the lake all the time with natural streams actively feeding it as well. The water is very clear and blue but somewhat shallow. I am working with ducks unlimited as the pit near completion to rehab the 1000' of west shoreline properly to invite waterfowl to the lake by dealing with the shoreline configuration, the slope gradients and the variable depths for wildlife and biological diversity. My thoughts were similar with the sq ft of island space..... I have approx. 1/2 acre total island space so maybe 50-75 domestic ducks and geese will be enough along with the native waterfowl. I don't want to feed and house to many during the 2-3 months of winter. I will be building a approx 10' X 5' X 5' height duck house on the island near the windmill aerator with good southern exposure for winter warmth thru the large window I will build. Do you know of any good web site to get ideas for a duck house? Thanks

Rowly

Rowly, I don't know of a plan I could recommend for your island house, they all tend to be too complicated for your practical needs. I would recommend that you plan for easy cleaning, maybe build it on skids so it could be easily moved. If you use thin plywood and minimal studding you can keep the weight down to facitate moving it around. I use a straw bedding which needs a periodic refreshing. Since you have an aerator on the island, will you be keeping open water in the island area in the winter? When your water is frozen it is a highway for predators, the open water could be the answer. In any event it sounds like a fun project, and don't forget the cylinders, they are also good weather protection.
Jim

Jim correct, the aerator hopefully will keep the water open on those really cold days. The air stone is some 50-60' from the dock house future location. My thoughts... 2- 10' long railway ties and 2- 5' railway ties with the 10' length facing south for that southern exposured plexiglass window. These ties will act as a foundation for the approx 10' X 6' dock house and give me a bottom of sand and gravel within the dock house to lay straw onto the gravel floor. Install a large door and remove the straw occassional with new in the winter. Feed the fowl within the duck house and they should return/stay during poor weather????? I will keep them fed with lettuce and corn during the winter. Any idea on how far apart I should build these nesting cyclinders on the islands, every 15' or so or more space????

Rowly

Rowly, the cylinders are light and very portable. I have had 3 and 4 ducks trying to use them at the same time! Every 15 feet would be fine and I suspect that they could be closer. I have by trial and error found that having the cylinders resting among natural plantings makes them more popular. The ducks do like to pluck the straw out of the cylinders so I do have to periodically go around and stuff some more in the outside. You may find that a few stakes will keep them in place if you have a windy situation.
You might be interested in hearing that my new Khaki Campbells are starting to lay already. They are supposed to be the most prolific layers of all fowl including chickens.
Jim

Jim, update.... the geese and ducks are doing fine and growing well. They are very friendly with us as we continue to feed them each night on the island. We call each other often. Next summer I will be adding a few chinese and toulouse geese to the grouping. I have a local breeder and they are doing well with the same ducks and geese I have. They definitely add enjoyment to our life and are watchful supervisors as I add rip rap rock and rehab around the east shoreline.

Rowly

Hi Rowly, glad to hear about your success. My critters are also doing well. I have a pair of Chinese and a pair of African Geese. Very amusing birds. Toulouse can be quite aggressive (emphasis on quite aggressive), whereas the Africans have an evener disposition. Just something for you to condider. Can't say enough about the Chinese - very pretty birds.
Jim

Jim:

Sorry for the long delay but busy on the lake rehab and building my 20' X 10' duck house on the island. Update, I was given 2 toulouse geese that are very large (a. 40 lbs ea.). These large geese are very non-agressive and the embden's rule the water in my situation. I was thinking of getting some Chinese geese and Africans as well next spring. Do you think they will do well in my environment????? I also bought 10 guinea fowl for the island and they are blending in well with the ducks and geese in and around the duck house as I have created a roosting area for them in the enclosed structure.

Rowly

Hi Rowly;
Sorry to be so late in replying, I have not been on the site much lately. Regarding Chinese and Africans, I did raise a pair of each this year and I don't know what to think of the results! The first thing I would caution you about is the pronounced nob they develop at the top of their beak. I am told that it is subject to frostbite in cold conditions and I guess you qualify for that definition. In our case we don't have prolonged cold temps and they have adapted nicely to a house I built for them. They are very good looking birds and VERY protective of their turf. They don't appear to be afraid of anything and they should be - I lost my Chinese Hen to a racoon. I now pen them every night. I guess I would do it over again, but I do find the Geese require a bit more maintenance than the ducks, but I anticipate that they will be good weeders in the garden in the spring. My African Gander weighs in at about 25 lbs - a very impressive critter indeed. My Chinese Gander is "only" about 15 lbs. I guess it's worth a try, have fun.
Jim

Rowly, Jim mentioned raccons got one of his birds, just wondering what you are doing to keep yours 'safe'? I have had many grand ideas for keeping chickens, or sheep or alpacas etc... but they wouldn't last more then a week with the coons, fishsers, wolves and bears I have around. (And I am only 30 or so km from Downtown Ottawa...)