Best dishes for feeding ducks?

[Anne W]

I use shallow dishes to feed my ducks but I am sure others experience the same problem - food goes everywhere.

I have seen long galvanised containers with 'lips' on the Domestic Fowl Trust website. Any good - if so what size is best?

 

[Tim]

For my ducks I actually use the standard / plastic feed hoppers for pellets but put their wheat into their bowl / water. This means the chickens can't eat all of the wheat and it is safe from vermin and the ducks get to scoop it up from the bottom which in my mind more natural to them.

Other people I have seen use small heavy bowls - like dog water bowls but I have seen galvanised troughs used in France when I was over there.

 

[Anne W]

Yes - I was going to put some wheat in their water - how many days can it be left in there before having to change it ? I don't want it to turn sour.

 

[Tim]

My water is in a 3ft wide tub about a foot high - I change it every other day and what's left in the bottom gets tipped out and eaten. I try to only feed what they eat in a day and they don't always take it from there, preferring to chase around the field with the chickens picking up their mixed corn.

 

[steeple ducks]

I use plastic plant trays for feed and larger one's for water. As Tim does, putting the wheat in the water for the ducks as they can be slow to start to feed, going on quacking, head bobbing rounds and having a search through the grass first.The chickens clear anything that gets scattered. It is cleared within 20 minutes, if not I reduce the feed. Large plastic dog bowls are handy too.
If you sprout some wheat (like bean sprouts) it's an excellent bit of fresh shoots for their diet during the winter months and thoroughly enjoyed.

 

[Anne W]

Ah - will do that _ thanks

 

[Tim]

I have moved my ducks for the winter and in doing so, tried some plastic dog bowls = wheat + water and it is cleared by mid-late afternoon and they rush out in the mornings over to their water / food and wait for me to top up their food.

Seems to be a success - just remember when ducks feed they like to take a dabble / drink in between food so put their food close to their water.

 

[Anne W]

Yes - that's a good idea Tim- have been using a small washing-up bowl for my big ducks eg Aylsburies etc. but it's too high for my call ducks - plastic dog bowls will be perfect .

Is the principal the same for geese?

 

[Tim]

Yes, Geese will do the same.

Another thing I have done is put a square of wire mesh on the floor under the duck bath - the grass grows through and it 'sinks' into the soil with the activity of earth worms - now, when the ducks puddle, you get a few holes but not the massive mud bath - well, not as much and it's not so slippery.

I also keep the duck baths next to a fence so when I tip them out, the water goes through the fence and not where they will dabble...

 

[Anne W]

Aha! yes - I remember now about the mesh under the containers. :roll: I used to do it years ago and it worked - funny how somehow these things slip and life becomes so busy that you go through the motions of moving the containers around, moaning about the state of the ground around them and forget there was a solution to it! Thanks Tim - nice day out there (apart from the blessed wind!) so will go and sort that. Ha!