simon1979 Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 Hi there I have a large pond. And I would like to try and set it up as duck pond, what sort of things do I need to dol like amount cover how many to stock, feeding etc Any advice would be great thank you Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highbird70 Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 Hi there I have a large pond. And I would like to try and set it up as duck pond, what sort of things do I need to dol like amount cover how many to stock, feeding etc Any advice would be great thank you Simon Hi Simon, You could make a floating island to be placed on the pond where the Ducks can rest and feed and feeling safe from predators. Feeding wise....old potato skins or barley should do the trick. Atb Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako751sg Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 Just try feeding first to see what kind of numbers come in to use it.A bit of barley round the shallow margins,if there is any should do the trick and just keep checking for signs,feathers and muddy water where they have been feeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1979 Posted October 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 the pond is queit open at the moment, should i try and add more cover round the edges?, and can i add ducks to the pond? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highbird70 Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 the pond is queit open at the moment, should i try and add more cover round the edges?, and can i add ducks to the pond? You could add some call duck, the small mallard type, they are great for calling in other ducks, but you have to feed them and build a safe place for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 We put 100 Mallard on our pond, but you are a little late this year now. If you do put duck on there they will need an island or something where they can escape predators, and electric fencing for a month or so after they go on. This is assuming you buy in day olds and put them out on the pond at about 12 weeks old. A bit of cover to act as wind breaks would probably encourage more ducks to use it as well. For this year i would start feeding and see what comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1979 Posted October 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 Thanks for the help. I will try and add a photo, not sure how to yet. I think releasing is the best way. When is the best time to release them many thanks simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 I agree with all thats been said and you need to see if its used by wild birds before you start feeding heavily. Most ponds usually get some birds at dusk. You do not need to provide shelter for flighting, juts hides of a rudimentary type, placed so you can approach to wothin range without being seen by the birds. The best I have seen was pond in Scotland where the approach to the hides was through thick cover about 4 feet high. When you decide to put down duck you will need the refuge mentioned and shelter from the wind and also the rain ideally. Then you might try and extend the areas of shallo water round the edge where the duck dabble and upend. The bigger the shor area the greater will be the attraction. You need to feed in these areas as the birds can see the food and take it. Do think about how to approach the pond unseen as part of your wind protection if you put birds down, if you flight just make basic hides from pallets at or close to the waters edge and weave sacking and local vegetation branches etc into the sacking tacked on the pallets. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 I would just start feeding an area of shallows with barley, might be bettter if u can get some tailings or brushings of the floor as it tends to float more and might be more attractive to duck. Possibly throwing a duck decoy or 2 in around the fed area might attract the eye of passing wild duck if near a flight line. Once duck know where it is and it is fed more will start to come While pallet or living butts are good and comfier u can just hide in a buch of rashes/bushes till u know the best places for butts, if using as a flight pond i'd say doesn't really need cover to get in as u want to scare duck off so they will come back while ur st in the hide/butt. And it makes it a lot esier to spy the ducks flighting in if pond is very open with no tree obstructing the flight lines As for the island, i'm never convinced makes much diference,most of the predators on a duck pond will swim (mink and otter, and so will a fox if theres food there) and plus even when u've got an island duck tend to never use it anyway prefering to hang about on the banking. If ur going to release some u could try putting a few partridge pen section together and placing them into the water round the area u feed the duck, will hopefully help to keep birds inside the refuge area. While u are late for getting duck now, u never know if u phone round a few game farmers (was some advertised on here a while ago) 10 or so is all the ducku need as call birds, u could mibee try to get some 'pet' or 'laying' ducks to use as call birds. But i would just throw some feed in to start with, mibee just 1 bucket - to half a bag of barley to start with and wait till it's gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 Have a look at the Duck nesting tubes used by West moorland Wildfowlers they have a website, basically as Ducks unlimited they seem to work. I am not one for releasing duck for shooting as the RSPB say on their advert "build it and they will come" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 Have a look at the Duck nesting tubes used by West moorland Wildfowlers they have a website, basically as Ducks unlimited they seem to work. I am not one for releasing duck for shooting as the RSPB say on their advert "build it and they will come" We have used the nesting tubes for the 1st time this year and out of the 6 we put up 4 were used, so they seem to work well. We release duck to offset the amount we shoot over a season. If you do go down the route of releasing Mallard then don't expect a great return on the birds you put down, last season we only shot 18 of the 100 we released but they do get the wild duck into the pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 Silver wot time off year did u put ur tubes up? We put some up but was a wee touch late probably april time, and to be honest had bought the wrong guage/thickness of mesh, to thin. Replaced them later on but no luck with them. Hopefully next year. We did have an early clutch of 18 eggs but were all ate within 2 weeks , was hardly any cover with the late spring and they stood out like a sore thumb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1979 Posted October 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 thanks for help, i may of letfed it to late this year, but i can start and put things in place for next year. i will try feeding, to hepl bring wild ducks in. If i release ducks next season, whens the ideal time? many thanks simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 I'd start feeding now and see wot happens, fingers crossed. Would some duck decoys help to draw duck in if just left on pond unattended??? If ur feeding works carry on throu the spring and more duck wil get to know ur pond for future as u will be ony pond feeding in close season If u want to encourage some wild duck breeding (which is always a good thing) u could stick some off these duck tubes up If u want to release duck it will depend on wot stage u get them, but if u got some growers 12ish week old about aug or even sept, i'd only get a small number as call birds. U could just start feeding Aug time with no ducks released esp if u get duck coming in now, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako751sg Posted October 29, 2013 Report Share Posted October 29, 2013 (edited) Its not too late to feed it and the sooner you start the sooner the birds will find it.One of my best bits dried up over the summer so as soon as there was a wee splash of water in it we fed and within two days it was getting used again.Had a look doon just coming on dark yesterday and saw quite a few come on but not sure how many due to the darkness.Have a new place this year less than five minutes from the hoose,only about 16m2 of water and very deep with no margin and covered in thick weed so raked it out,fed with ***** barley left over from the seed dressing so it would float and it went from 0 ducks,to 2 ducks,16 ducks,23 ducks in less than a week increasing everytime we went and checked.Shot it with Mac a fortnight ago and had 4 mallard and 3 teal and that evening at leat 50 teal came in but only about a dozen mallard.Was going through a bag of barley every couple of days so shot it Saturday with the old fella and Mac and had 5 teal and 9 mallard,with again at least 50 teal and around 30 mallard come in.Shouldnt really shoot ponds so often but cant be putting a bag of barley doon so often. The moral is,any wee splash of water you see on your ground,stick a wee bit feed down and the results could be very surprising.The quicker you get them coming the better,as when the rain does come they will have so much more options to go to. Edited October 29, 2013 by sako751sg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted October 29, 2013 Report Share Posted October 29, 2013 Silver wot time off year did u put ur tubes up? We put some up but was a wee touch late probably april time, and to be honest had bought the wrong guage/thickness of mesh, to thin. Replaced them later on but no luck with them. Hopefully next year. We did have an early clutch of 18 eggs but were all ate within 2 weeks , was hardly any cover with the late spring and they stood out like a sore thumb We put them up middle of Feb, the 2 that were not used were facing the wrong way for the predominant wind. These have now been turned around so fingers crossed for this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1979 Posted October 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) hi there ive link a photo of the pond im trying add ducks to. Its very open, and only has a few shallow bits please let me know your throughts https://www.dropbox.com/sc/gzkosh824bp0r79/uVqzFkZMHQ many thanks simon Edited October 30, 2013 by simon1979 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 Cheers silver , just hope they work this year! Have placed them across the wind so facing east/west ish as normal wind for us is SW, my earlier attepmts i think i used 19 guage instead off 16 guage and they were really 'floppy' so put off placing out till i got a 2nd opinion off the other boys, they thought they would be ok but by mid june were just really off shape and squashed. Just wondering did u use the proper system for erecting them? ie the pre fabricated cradles and metal adjustable poles? We just mel'd some fence posts in and screwed some old skirting board on to the top, we had already screwed 2 pieces at 90 degress at end to form an 'H' shape with 4" nails sticking out to hold tube. Looks ruff and ready but cheap seems to hold tubes no prolem as still sitting nice now. But like i said ducks never used ours this year, so probably not the best person to be giving advice, mibee put off by the dodgy joinery Simon had a look at ur pond in the photo, being honest does not look ideal BUT that does not mean it will not draw/pull ducks in. Sides look awful steep so probably won't get duck sitting on it all day, but that could be a good thing for flighting As long as it has shallow areas to put ur food in (4-8" deep) chuck ur food in and see wot happens over the next wee while. If no other fed ponds in area it could be the best pond ever!! If loads of well feed ponds u may just get occasional duck. Never know till u try and it won't cost u much to find out 1 way or other. But even if not great sometimes with a new pond can take a wee while for the ducks to find and memorise it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1979 Posted October 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) thanks scotslad, yes i agree dont think its ideal, we have had a few ducks and morr hens nest on there this year, but as you say they dont seem to stay. there is a shawoller area, on one side the is an access ramp which slope down to down about half way, other wise its a very deep pond(20' at highest level). Area wise theres a few smaller pits/pond in the area but not to mainy, plus its in staffordshire silly question, but would adding fish help? Edited October 30, 2013 by simon1979 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 Looks like some sort of effluent or water storage type pond, so i would imagine it would be quite deep. Quite exposed and a lack of cover/vege or probably much life in the pond itself Possibly shallowing off some more edges but probably not very easy or feasable even with a decent sized digger as will no doubt be very steep drop. Possibly a floating raft with food (think someone mentioned this earlier) on as well as in shallows and mibee leave a couple off decoys on the pond My honest opinion would be if ur farmer has any wet corners of fields try building a new 1 from scratch, doesn't need to be deep or big, probably easier and cheaper than trying to fix that 1. But chuck some feed in and see wot happens, u really never know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1979 Posted October 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 Your right, it was designed for water storage. We dug it about 15 years ago, and the earth we dug out, formed the banks, they could be regraded but last when dig this we had 2 20ton machines to do this. There are a couple of springs which feed it. I was thinking of plant a hawthorn hedge around some of it the help provide more of a wind break. It does get a few ducks landing on it and a the odd swan. I will try a raft in the near future, i have start to put some food in, i have been get sweeping from the near by farm, again not the best but free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferretboy111 Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Used to have one on my old place- used to get 50-100 duck on it. The only problem was the steep banks for retrieving the ducks and finding a shallow area to feed the ducks on. But feed it and they will find it. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1979 Posted November 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 thanks for all the info, well i will keep feeding and fingers crossed. I know its not ideal but i have to work with what i have many thanks simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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