Monday 7 July 2014

Talking of ponds.....

Guess what I had in my pond on the allotment a couple of weeks ago??

When I ask that question I think there is an obvious answer but apparently not and I really did get some weird answer off people...but that is getting away from what was there.

It didn't actually start off in my pond but I kind of herded it/them there from down near the gate...have you guessed yet??

ducks and ducklings on allotments and ponds
DUCKS!!!!!! well ok...one duck and 8
ducklings!!

ducks and ducklings on allotments and ponds
I just glanced up from working on my plot
and there they were nibbling around
other peoples plots.


ducks and ducklings on allotments and ponds
When I first approached Mum was a little
antsy but soon settled when she realised
I was no threat. I walked them off the
allotments onto the path but they didn't seem
to know where to go.


ducks and ducklings on allotments and ponds
I gave them some water which the
ducklings jumped into but after mum
had had her fill she started wandering
towards the gate. This worried me a bit as it
leads to a road with a blind corner so the only
thing I could think of doing was 'herding'
them to the bee plot pond which is right
the other side of the allotments.

ducks and ducklings on allotments and ponds
As you can see they loved it. Mum even jumped
in for a dunk too. how incredibly cute to
have some duckling in my pond and
see them enjoying it!!
I don't know where these ducks came from. If they were from another plot owner then I haven't seen any evidence of them since and they were no longer on the bee plot when I returned. I told Juliette who is working the bee plot with me and now we wonder whether we should secure the plot off and have a couple of resident ducks. The idea is a nice one. Not so much for the eggs but just for the ducks. If we were going to do this I think I would sink another vessel into the ground so there was just more than one body of water.

Any one got any experience with keeping ducks?? I think they can turn over land quite quick and we wouldn't want the plot destroyed but would just a couple do that??

Any knowledge any one has either first hand or from knowing somebody who has ducks would be much appreciated.

Oh and on a last note....aren't the duckling CUTE!!!!
.

6 comments:

  1. Yes, I used to keep ducks when I was younger. We had 6 mallards (2 male, 4 female) and a male muscovy (same breed as your duck above).
    Ducks are very destructive for vegetation. They can and will wreck almost anything they can get their beaks into in search of food.
    Of course the good side is that they eat slugs and snail which we seem to be plagued with this year.
    If you're going to keep ducks, a constant supply of water needs to be procured. Not just a pond or bath tub. You need it constantly running to keep the water healthy because they make a muddy mess.
    Personally I'd advise against keeping ducks on an Allotment. They'd be more trouble than they're worth.

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    1. All sounds very dishearening...the idea is lovely but i don't want to destroy all the hard work i have so far put into the plot . Thanks for all your info. It has certainly given me some things to think about.

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  2. Are they muscovy ducks? Someone on our site had ducks but I don't know much about them, They didn't grow anything in the pens whether this was choice or the ducks ate everything I don't know. I think they put them inside a hut on a night to protect from foxes. Do domestic ducks have wings clipped so they can;t fly away?

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    1. Yes they wre Sue. I don't know whether ducks wings are clipped or not although if you read the above comment I think it will proably be a no go on getting some anyway although i will do a little more research first!!

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  3. What cute visitors you had. I don't know a thing about ducks but it looks like you've already gotten a very good answer to your question

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    Replies
    1. I did get a good answer...if not quite the one I was hoping for! :-(

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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!