joeainscow Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Hi, I've got about 400 acres of land. The problem is mitsimitosis destroyed the rabbit numbers 3 years ago and i'm now lucky to see one. As a result i'm not shooting any. I fancy shooting something different and what can easily be sold on. We have a large river running through our land and about 8 largeish ponds. Ducks where my initial thought since i've heard bad tales of raising pheasants. "die for fun" is what one person told me. Does anyone know how hard is it to rear them? Btw foxes are not an issue. Discovered they love tractors for some reason especially when muck-spreading? No need for the .223 my shotgun and RC 50 magnum cartridges do the job :-) Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanjipete Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 its too late to rear any ducks now mate ,they arent like like ex layers you can buy hold then release ,your only hope is to feed the ponds for a while & let them establish feeling safe ,shoot rarely & stop before the flight finishes ,better to wait until next year then start all over ,its not difficult ,but im afraid you can only expect the odd bird now if you havent fed the ponds ,cheers pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeainscow Posted December 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I've seen lots of advice on the internet but allot seems to contradict one another. Is this because there's no definitive way? I'll leave it till next year but start buying the lamps ect now. It'll seem cheaper that way instead of buying it all in one go :-) Am i right in thinking that once reared they'll stay on the ponds so long as they're fed? Ask me anything bout rearing cows or gardening but ducks.... :-( Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I have never reared ducks to shoot, only for the table but I can tell you they are easier and cheaper to rear than pheasants. You don't need them under heat for as long and they don't fly so early so the release pens might not need a roof. They don't have the pecking problems either! The feed is probably cheaper but its a while since I bought any. If there are ducks on the pits already then I would think it worth a try to raise a few for next year. You've got till March/April next year to think about it and get organised anyway! GH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 (edited) If done properly reared duck can provide good sport , but if done badly they are hopeless. As you have a number of ponds it sounds as though you have an ideal setup. Release the duck onto a couple of the ponds ( and slowly reduce feeding them on the relese pond as they start flying , stoping when they are strong flyers) and feed the others so they flight from one pond to another at dusk. If they settle on one of the fed ponds during the day dog them off to stop them becoming too tame. Mallard are very easy to rear and release , but you must stop them from becoming too tame. Once you release them keep contact to a minimum. If possible fed by chucking the feed over a screen on the release pond so they do not assiocate you with food. When they are strong on the wing in August dog the mallard off the pond once a week\ 10 days , just to keep them wary , but do not over do it or you might lose them. You should aim to have a holding pond or two where the birds roost during the day and some fed ponds where they flight to at dusk. Do not shoot the holding pond until the last shoot of the season and with any luck you will be able to flight your duck every couple of weeks. Edited January 1, 2010 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeainscow Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Cheers for the advice. Does anyone know of any good books on it as i'm a total novice in the bird area. I don't know of a good number to try first and where to get the eggs from. Incubators seem to be around the £80 mark for 25 eggs which rotates them. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 For a simple guide to raising duck get hold of BASCs " The new wildfowler " , but make sure its the 3rd eddition published in 1989. The chapter on " Wildfowl in Captivity " is aimed at those who want to keep wild duck , but the rearing methods are just the same for mallard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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