Fencing

Waterfowl in general have wandering, inquisitive natures and are easy targets for the many predators and other hazards which abound in the wild. To be able to maintain and enjoy a collection, whatever its size, you will need to provide secure fencing. We often hear from householders who move to a property with a body of water and […]

Plants

Planting for Natural Ponds The main priority when keeping heavy domestic ducks and geese must be to maintain sufficient grass. A few geese about the place can certainly help to keep the grass down. If your flock are destined for the festive table, overgrazing in the winter is not so much of an issue. But […]

Predator Control

Trapping Few things are more soul destroying than coming out one morning to find your precious birds lying around dead or half-buried after a visit from a fox. Although the fox is perhaps the most destructive predator, we need to be aware of badgers, cats and dogs, crows and magpies. Small predators like rats, mink, […]

Ponds

Pond Location The ideal site for a collection of wildfowl is probably a fairly extensive garden with natural running water. Waterfowl enjoy basking in the sunshine, but appreciate shelter from strong winds. Because ducks in particular spend a lot of time on the water, a sunny and sheltered position for their pond is favoured. Where […]

Raising Waterfowl

Broody hen with ducklings — Val Kitt Wild waterfowl are usually led to the relative safety of water by one or both parents soon after their down is dry. Many duck and goose breeders use broody hens to incubate eggs. If they hatch under the broody, she will do an excellent job of caring for […]

Incubation

Baer’s Pochard keeping a low profile — Phoebe Vaughan In an ideal world, female waterfowl should incubate their own eggs. However, for a number of reasons this is not always practical in captivity. We may remove eggs because the mother is not a good sitter or is being disturbed by other birds. Sometimes if the […]

Infrastructure

Planning Ahead We always recommend finishing the facilities before introducing the birds. How large and how fancy is going to depend on space, budget and personal taste. Many features in a waterfowl set-up will be common to all species and breeds; security, water provision and access. We would hope that starting to keep waterfowl will […]

Waterfowl First Aid

Birds that are not in full health will often hide their symptoms well. It may be that an ailment is pretty serious before the symptoms show. Our suggestions below are given in good faith. The intent is to provide a general overview but is not a replacement for specialist veterinary care. Click here to see […]

Husbandry

Good stockmanship Many people enjoy keeping ducks and geese and with a bit of forethought and care, few problems occur. Good stockmanship is very important. This means getting to know your birds and their regular habits, spending some time each day watching them and trying to give them a daily routine. Often it is a […]