Originally Posted by canyoncreek
Thanks a bunch for taking time to host this livestream and post it here! I love this post and also if you happen to be able to catch the 'jump day' from the outside, how awesome!

I too have failed this spring despite moving the duck house to a more sheltered place. But like you said above. I probably do not have adequate vegetation to hide the brood in. In fact I have none, although I have mature trees almost all around the pond and several huge oak trees. I'm curious about the acorn part of things. The woodies come in the spring and the acorns fall in the fall. I rarely see any acorns left by winter time and surely by spring they are gone (deer and squirrels eat them). Do you have acorns left for them in the spring?

I think acorns are a preferred food source, but definitely not an only food source. Mast bearing trees (aka nut bearing trees) don't produce a crop every season, and our trees produce every other to every 3rd year. But within a stand of oaks, several trees are dropping a bunch of nuts any given fall. The ducks always find these trees and gorge themselves. I have seen hens and half grown ducklings under our trees several times. But I know baby ducks are omnivores and will gobble up whatever tidbit they find while dabbling in the shallows, including bugs, slugs and snails. So I think they'll eat what's available at the time.
I guess even with ducks "it just depends". But the hen most certainly does some eyeball calculations about the suitability of a location for raising a brood. Our place is blessed with a nice combo of duck preferred cover and forage.
I suppose the motivated land owner could try and improve the duck friendly habitat around his pond. But I also know there is only so much time and effort and treasure we can invest in our hobbies.