Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ducks using your pond?

eddie, did you band that goose?

how much estimated cost in raising 10 of them, with light for heat, etc...?

If any of you will be thru the KC, Mo area next spring, I will have Mallard ducklings.

Heating for ducklings isn't nearly as important as keeping them dry and draft free. You can make an inexpensive brooder out of a metal wash tub, heat lamp w/ infra red bulb, something to cover most of the top of tub (plywood, OSB, Carpet, ect), wood chips a feeder and fountain waterer. Make sure you feed ducklings or goslings gamebird feed. It is the only feed high enough in protein. Without it the small bird's bones won't develope right. It should take 10-12 weeks to raise to adult birds. Cost estimate as follows based on caging for 10 weeks ( highly recomended )

10 ducklings @ 1.5# per bird per week = 150#
150# of feed @ $14 per 50# = $42
Heat lamp and bulb = $12
feed tray and waterer = $10
wood chips for brooder for 3 weeks = $8

roughly $75, not bad. I'm looking forward to the project, only worry is getting too close to the little fellas, I know I'll lose a couple to predation.

Hmm, they cost $7.50 each at the flea market here in Canton, TX. If I buy them online for $3 each, then put another $7 into each one to get it big enough to let loose, I'm spending over $10 each that way.

I gues those ducks in Canton are allot better deal than I thought they were.

Thanks,
Eddie

Eddie, I have purchase chickens from them both in the past. Once in the 5-6 times I have made purchase from them, I got a crate with 3 chicks dead in it. But on examing the box I believed the chicks were killed in shipment. The box was crushed a little. I called the company that day and told them about it. I didnt think much about it and the next day 6 new chicks showed up at the house to my supprise.

The thing about the cost is really that bad once you are sent up you have it for life. We raise a few laying hens for the farm freash eggs. 25 pounds of chick starter at TSC is $6.35 and thats enough feed to feed a dozen of them for 6 months or more.

Besides They are fun to watch grow. I have 6 Bantam chicks that just hatched out 2 weeks ago from a hen and rooster that we keep around the place to eat scorpions. In which this past summer we had a infestation of the little suckers and the chickens cleaned them out.

You can not use chick starter for waterfowl. The medications are toxic to ducklings / goslings and the protein is about 12% less in the chick starter. Proper developement will not occur in the young birds.

Ducks are efficient foragers, so once they reach maturity feed bill is greatly reduced. They do an even better job than chickens at insect eradication.


$7.50 is about average for adult birds that have molted 2 or more times. They are not as productive (egg laying that is ) after the molts. Breeders can't justify the reduced production for the same amount of feed. Localized market also plays a big part. Pekins and rouens go for about $5 apiece here for adults.Everybody and their brother raise them. No one raises mallards around here, so I have no problem selling flight birds for $15.

Seeing lots of ducks in North Central Texas this week. I was opening the gate to my place yesterday when I saw some mallards on my small lower pond. I pulled out my camera, the ducks took off, and I just started clicking. This photo actually turned out nicely, so I thought I would share it...
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It was a bit chilly yesterday, and about 2/3 of the pond was covered with a thin layer of ice.

Dan

I went to check on thing at the pond this morning. Birds have been keeping a good pool open. I hunt the birds all around the pond but not on the pond.

Here's a picture of the goose and my wife that I took today. This is the first time he's been that close. He never seemed nervous, just curious. We're not sure if he's being frindly or if its some flock thing and it thinks we're part of the flock.

Eddie

great pics from all of you. eddie, what about that band?

The band is blank. It doesn't say anything, so we don't know what it means. Some people have said it's from a farm, some have said it's wild and the Fish and Game banded it, but I've never seen them use plastic bands, and one person said it might be from the local zoo.

Take your pick, I'm fine with any and all ideas.

Eddie

Ducks stop by my place regularly. Sometimes 50 to 60 on my little 1/2 acre hole at one time. They are entertaining to watch and can sure make a mess. Green poop everywhere. I'm not sure exactly what attracts them to my place since it is pretty much weed free and just lawn surrounding it. While fishing various lakes in the area, I have seen residents pile up cracked corn that attracted a lot of wild ducks and geese. Rouens look similar to mallards but they can severly injur native mallards when trying to breed with them due to their heavier weight. Some states require a pretty high minimum order quantity until after Easter to discourage ducklings as Easter gifts.

Hey Ryan...those buffleheads are gorgeous birds, eh?

It's interesting how the M and F are mirror images of each other. I was only lucky enough to see the buffleheads once. The picture was taken with my video camera at full zoom through a window so it doesn't do them any justice. The lower picture is all mallards.

We have seen a Bufflehead here briefly about every other year since we got our pond. IMO they are the tuxedo of ducks.

We have buffleheads at the pond every spring, usually there are ringnecks mixed in with them. Ten plus years ago in the spring we had more ducks on the pond for 3 solid weeks than we ever have had, there were between 3000 to 5000 ducks on the pond every day for that period, there was almost every duck in the book on the pond during those 3 weeks. We even took to parking above the tree line so they wouldn't get spooked off. That many ducks only happened that one year, usually the daily numbers are much smaller than that, usually a few dozen up 200 at a time during the spring migration. For some reason the numbers stopping by the pond is usually much smaller in the fall than it is in the spring.