Keeping Duck Out

Davy · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

I have a recent 6m x 5m pond that in its first Spring last year was
completely wrecked by a pair of mallard. We had to mount constant vigils to
chase them off.
So this year it will be temporary green nylon garden netting in the spring.
Can anybody advise me on using netting for this purpose? For instance do I
need to almost 'hermetically' seal the pond or would the ducks be deterred
by netting fixed about a metre over the pond (just enough to clear the
plants) with the sides left open? Or would it be sufficient to net around
the perimeter?

I would be grateful for any advice from anybody with experience.

Davy

Archived from group: rec>ponds>moderated

kathy · Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

I'd try the first method, leaving room for plants in hopes
that the duck would feel unsafe about not having flying
as an escape route. Then you could always try the
sealing method.
Any chance of borrowing a Jack Russell terrorist...
ahem, make that - terrier?

And I can't let this opportunity pass without reposting
one of the more famous rec.ponds posts about ducks.
Hope the laughs help you get thru your current situation....

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Ducks and Ponds
Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 00:09:02 +1300
From: IAN
Organization: Customer of Telecom Internet Services
Newsgroups: rec.ponds
References:

> We have a man-made pond and wondered
> if it is possilbe to buy baby duck to
> put at the pond,

Wooah Tina... Don't rush into this duck thing.

I have a Peking, its a beautiful white innocent thing that poops in
unbelievable quantities. Never mind about a bio-filter, you are going
to
need a sewerage system suitable for a small town to deal with what
this
duck is going to do to your pond.

> would they stay or would they leave?

No need to fret on this account - ducks never take the hint. Chuck `em
it in the air and it'll come right back. Sure it will occasionally
wander out onto the highway, but motorists would rather run off the
road
and kill all their passengers than hit a duck that's sitting looking
right at them.

Look closely at the general design of your average duck, notice that
the
cranium is small. It is my belief that if you could take all the duck
brains in the world and combine them in a sort of super organic
computer
you would basically have a machine with a loose bowel and a vocabulary
limited to: "quack". A duck is a natural born lobotomy.

> wondering if the cats if the neighborhood would bother them.

Hell no, the neighborhood cats will not bother your duck, unless it is
a
duckling which you have just presented to your young daughter.
Actually
you will find the neighborhood cats will avoid close encounters with
anything that looks like a duck. This is partly because cats dislike
stepping in duck doo to get to their prey and partly because the duck
thinks any passing cat must be its mother/sister/brother/mate. Even
the
staunchest Tom cat finds it unnerving to have to deal with this sort
of
thing and will generally go to extremes to avoid an embarrassing
encounter.

>Would we need to
> put a fence around it?

Sure, fence your duck, but it wont do you any good. You will still
hear
screeching tires on the road and the neighbors will still phone you up
to say your duck is harassing their cat again.

If you do get a duck be sure to turn on the lights at night before
your
walk across the lawn. One of the most unforgettable experiences you
can
have is tripping over a sleeping duck in the dark.

Regards Ian Gill Westland New Zealand

RubenD · Joined: 13 Jan 2008 Posts: 6

FUNNY!

"kathy" wrote in message@i72g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
> I'd try the first method, leaving room for plants in hopes
> that the duck would feel unsafe about not having flying
> as an escape route. Then you could always try the
> sealing method.
> Any chance of borrowing a Jack Russell terrorist...
> ahem, make that - terrier?
>
> And I can't let this opportunity pass without reposting
> one of the more famous rec.ponds posts about ducks.
> Hope the laughs help you get thru your current situation....
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: Ducks and Ponds
> Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 00:09:02 +1300
> From: IAN
> Organization: Customer of Telecom Internet Services
> Newsgroups: rec.ponds
> References:
>
>
> > We have a man-made pond and wondered
> > if it is possilbe to buy baby duck to
> > put at the pond,
>
> Wooah Tina... Don't rush into this duck thing.
>
> I have a Peking, its a beautiful white innocent thing that poops in
> unbelievable quantities. Never mind about a bio-filter, you are going
> to
> need a sewerage system suitable for a small town to deal with what
> this
> duck is going to do to your pond.
>
> > would they stay or would they leave?
>
> No need to fret on this account - ducks never take the hint. Chuck `em
> it in the air and it'll come right back. Sure it will occasionally
> wander out onto the highway, but motorists would rather run off the
> road
> and kill all their passengers than hit a duck that's sitting looking
> right at them.
>
> Look closely at the general design of your average duck, notice that
> the
> cranium is small. It is my belief that if you could take all the duck
> brains in the world and combine them in a sort of super organic
> computer
> you would basically have a machine with a loose bowel and a vocabulary
> limited to: "quack". A duck is a natural born lobotomy.
>
> > wondering if the cats if the neighborhood would bother them.
>
> Hell no, the neighborhood cats will not bother your duck, unless it is
> a
> duckling which you have just presented to your young daughter.
> Actually
> you will find the neighborhood cats will avoid close encounters with
> anything that looks like a duck. This is partly because cats dislike
> stepping in duck doo to get to their prey and partly because the duck
> thinks any passing cat must be its mother/sister/brother/mate. Even
> the
> staunchest Tom cat finds it unnerving to have to deal with this sort
> of
> thing and will generally go to extremes to avoid an embarrassing
> encounter.
>
> >Would we need to
> > put a fence around it?
>
> Sure, fence your duck, but it wont do you any good. You will still
> hear
> screeching tires on the road and the neighbors will still phone you up
> to say your duck is harassing their cat again.
>
> If you do get a duck be sure to turn on the lights at night before
> your
> walk across the lawn. One of the most unforgettable experiences you
> can
> have is tripping over a sleeping duck in the dark.
>
>
> Regards Ian Gill Westland New Zealand
>

Peter Corser · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 4

Davy wrote:
> I have a recent 6m x 5m pond that in its first Spring last year was
> completely wrecked by a pair of mallard. We had to mount constant
> vigils to chase them off.
> So this year it will be temporary green nylon garden netting in the
> spring. Can anybody advise me on using netting for this purpose? For
> instance do I need to almost 'hermetically' seal the pond or would
> the ducks be deterred by netting fixed about a metre over the pond
> (just enough to clear the plants) with the sides left open? Or would
> it be sufficient to net around the perimeter?
>
> I would be grateful for any advice from anybody with experience.
>
> Davy

We just let them stay and eventually had to remove some of the pondside
fencing to allow the ducklings to get in & out of the pond!

Have had at least 2 different pairs produce 6 broods over the last 5 years
(two different ground nest sites) and get regular visits during the winter -
they have us trained - coming up to the patio door and looking in to see
where the feeding machines (us!) are. They are totally unfazed by the cat
as long as he is on the other side of the glass and have never lost any
ducklings to him. Cats going near ducklings get the full harassment
treatment from the parents!

Peter
--
Peter & Elizabeth Corser
Leighton Buzzard, UK

JB · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 12

Davy,

You might as well join them. Given them a name and relax. Kathy is right,
you're not going to get rid of them. Us, we've named ours Hunky & Dory. Been
coming back three years now. Looking forward to seeing them any day now.

John

--

\\\|///
\\ - - //
( @ @ )
+---oOOo-(_)-oOOo------------+
| Sometimes I wish I was what|
|I was when I wished I was |
| what I am now. |
| ooo0 |
| ( ) 0ooo |
+---\ (----( )------------+
\_) ) /
(_/

"Davy" wrote in message @brightview.com...
>I have a recent 6m x 5m pond that in its first Spring last year was
> completely wrecked by a pair of mallard. We had to mount constant vigils
> to
> chase them off.
> So this year it will be temporary green nylon garden netting in the
> spring.
> Can anybody advise me on using netting for this purpose? For instance do
> I
> need to almost 'hermetically' seal the pond or would the ducks be deterred
> by netting fixed about a metre over the pond (just enough to clear the
> plants) with the sides left open? Or would it be sufficient to net around
> the perimeter?
>
> I would be grateful for any advice from anybody with experience.
>
> Davy
>

~ jan · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 276

On Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:26:05 CST, "Davy"
wrote:

>I have a recent 6m x 5m pond that in its first Spring last year was
>completely wrecked by a pair of mallard. We had to mount constant vigils to
>chase them off.
>So this year it will be temporary green nylon garden netting in the spring.
>Can anybody advise me on using netting for this purpose? For instance do I
>need to almost 'hermetically' seal the pond or would the ducks be deterred
>by netting fixed about a metre over the pond (just enough to clear the
>plants) with the sides left open? Or would it be sufficient to net around
>the perimeter?
>
>I would be grateful for any advice from anybody with experience.
>
>Davy

We had ducks come to the Demon Pond, we tried netting just above the pond,
they landed and waddled in, so we had to cover to ground. We only had to do
this till the canals started flowing, then we took the net off and all was
fine.

Ducks can royally mess with a small pond, too much fertilizer for any
filter, pull up plants and bring in lots of nasty algae, bacteria and
parasites. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Chris Barnes · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 24

I wonder what the thread would be like if we were talking about pet
geese, instead of ducks?

--
Chris "thinking of getting a couple of pet greater Canada geese" Barnes

kathy wrote:
> And I can't let this opportunity pass without reposting
> one of the more famous rec.ponds posts about ducks.
> Hope the laughs help you get thru your current situation....
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: Ducks and Ponds
> Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 00:09:02 +1300
> From: IAN
> Organization: Customer of Telecom Internet Services
> Newsgroups: rec.ponds
> References:
>
>
>> We have a man-made pond and wondered
>> if it is possilbe to buy baby duck to
>> put at the pond,
>
> Wooah Tina... Don't rush into this duck thing.
>
> I have a Peking, its a beautiful white innocent thing that poops in
> unbelievable quantities. Never mind about a bio-filter, you are going
> to
> need a sewerage system suitable for a small town to deal with what
> this
> duck is going to do to your pond.
>
>> would they stay or would they leave?
>
> No need to fret on this account - ducks never take the hint. Chuck `em
> it in the air and it'll come right back. Sure it will occasionally
> wander out onto the highway, but motorists would rather run off the
> road
> and kill all their passengers than hit a duck that's sitting looking
> right at them.
>
> Look closely at the general design of your average duck, notice that
> the
> cranium is small. It is my belief that if you could take all the duck
> brains in the world and combine them in a sort of super organic
> computer
> you would basically have a machine with a loose bowel and a vocabulary
> limited to: "quack". A duck is a natural born lobotomy.
>
>> wondering if the cats if the neighborhood would bother them.
>
> Hell no, the neighborhood cats will not bother your duck, unless it is
> a
> duckling which you have just presented to your young daughter.
> Actually
> you will find the neighborhood cats will avoid close encounters with
> anything that looks like a duck. This is partly because cats dislike
> stepping in duck doo to get to their prey and partly because the duck
> thinks any passing cat must be its mother/sister/brother/mate. Even
> the
> staunchest Tom cat finds it unnerving to have to deal with this sort
> of
> thing and will generally go to extremes to avoid an embarrassing
> encounter.
>
>> Would we need to
>> put a fence around it?
>
> Sure, fence your duck, but it wont do you any good. You will still
> hear
> screeching tires on the road and the neighbors will still phone you up
> to say your duck is harassing their cat again.
>
> If you do get a duck be sure to turn on the lights at night before
> your
> walk across the lawn. One of the most unforgettable experiences you
> can
> have is tripping over a sleeping duck in the dark.
>
>
> Regards Ian Gill Westland New Zealand
>

--

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Chris Barnes AOL IM: CNBarnes
chris@txbarnes.com Yahoo IM: chrisnbarnes
"Usenet really is all about standing around and hitting the ground
with clubs, on a spot where many years earlier a dead horse lay."

Peter Corser · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 4

Peter Corser wrote:
> Davy wrote:
>> I have a recent 6m x 5m pond that in its first Spring last year was
>> completely wrecked by a pair of mallard. We had to mount constant
>> vigils to chase them off.
>> So this year it will be temporary green nylon garden netting in the
>> spring. Can anybody advise me on using netting for this purpose? For
>> instance do I need to almost 'hermetically' seal the pond or would
>> the ducks be deterred by netting fixed about a metre over the pond
>> (just enough to clear the plants) with the sides left open? Or would
>> it be sufficient to net around the perimeter?
>>
>> I would be grateful for any advice from anybody with experience.
>>
>> Davy
>
> We just let them stay and eventually had to remove some of the
> pondside fencing to allow the ducklings to get in & out of the pond!
>
> Have had at least 2 different pairs produce 6 broods over the last 5
> years (two different ground nest sites) and get regular visits during
> the winter - they have us trained - coming up to the patio door and
> looking in to see where the feeding machines (us!) are. They are
> totally unfazed by the cat as long as he is on the other side of the
> glass and have never lost any ducklings to him. Cats going near
> ducklings get the full harassment treatment from the parents!
>
> Peter

Update

Our pair were back this morning checking out all the old nest sites, plus
one or two new ones!

Peter
--
Peter & Elizabeth Corser
Leighton Buzzard, UK

Davy · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

Thanks everyone for the advice, but I'm afraid that allowing the ducks
access is not possible - they either upturned or turned out every basket and
ate all our frog spawn and newts.
So have ordered tough netting from ebay but the widest I could find was 2m.
So now I have to find a way of fixing it!

cheers

Davy

"Davy" wrote in message@brightview.com...
> I have a recent 6m x 5m pond that in its first Spring last year was
> completely wrecked by a pair of mallard. We had to mount constant vigils
to
> chase them off.
> So this year it will be temporary green nylon garden netting in the
spring.
> Can anybody advise me on using netting for this purpose? For instance do
I
> need to almost 'hermetically' seal the pond or would the ducks be deterred
> by netting fixed about a metre over the pond (just enough to clear the
> plants) with the sides left open? Or would it be sufficient to net around
> the perimeter?
>
> I would be grateful for any advice from anybody with experience.
>
> Davy
>

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

"kathy" wrote in message @i72g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
> I'd try the first method, leaving room for plants in hopes
> that the duck would feel unsafe about not having flying
> as an escape route. Then you could always try the
> sealing method.
> Any chance of borrowing a Jack Russell terrorist...
> ahem, make that - terrier?
>
> And I can't let this opportunity pass without reposting
> one of the more famous rec.ponds posts about ducks.
> Hope the laughs help you get thru your current situation....

That was halarious. Very Happy

>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: Ducks and Ponds
> Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 00:09:02 +1300
> From: IAN
> Organization: Customer of Telecom Internet Services
> Newsgroups: rec.ponds
> References:
>
>
>> We have a man-made pond and wondered
>> if it is possilbe to buy baby duck to
>> put at the pond,
>
> Wooah Tina... Don't rush into this duck thing.
>
> I have a Peking, its a beautiful white innocent thing that poops in
> unbelievable quantities. Never mind about a bio-filter, you are going
> to
> need a sewerage system suitable for a small town to deal with what
> this
> duck is going to do to your pond.
>
>> would they stay or would they leave?
>
> No need to fret on this account - ducks never take the hint. Chuck `em
> it in the air and it'll come right back. Sure it will occasionally
> wander out onto the highway, but motorists would rather run off the
> road
> and kill all their passengers than hit a duck that's sitting looking
> right at them.
>
> Look closely at the general design of your average duck, notice that
> the
> cranium is small. It is my belief that if you could take all the duck
> brains in the world and combine them in a sort of super organic
> computer
> you would basically have a machine with a loose bowel and a vocabulary
> limited to: "quack". A duck is a natural born lobotomy.
>
>> wondering if the cats if the neighborhood would bother them.
>
> Hell no, the neighborhood cats will not bother your duck, unless it is
> a
> duckling which you have just presented to your young daughter.
> Actually
> you will find the neighborhood cats will avoid close encounters with
> anything that looks like a duck. This is partly because cats dislike
> stepping in duck doo to get to their prey and partly because the duck
> thinks any passing cat must be its mother/sister/brother/mate. Even
> the
> staunchest Tom cat finds it unnerving to have to deal with this sort
> of
> thing and will generally go to extremes to avoid an embarrassing
> encounter.
>
>>Would we need to
>> put a fence around it?
>
> Sure, fence your duck, but it wont do you any good. You will still
> hear
> screeching tires on the road and the neighbors will still phone you up
> to say your duck is harassing their cat again.
>
> If you do get a duck be sure to turn on the lights at night before
> your
> walk across the lawn. One of the most unforgettable experiences you
> can
> have is tripping over a sleeping duck in the dark.
>
>
> Regards Ian Gill Westland New Zealand
>

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

"Chris Barnes" wrote in message $jfa$2@news.tamu.edu...
>I wonder what the thread would be like if we were talking about pet geese,
>instead of ducks?
>
> --
> Chris "thinking of getting a couple of pet greater Canada geese" Barnes
========================================
Better buy a good pair of water and manure proof rubber boots to cross your
lawn. Wink

--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ } ~~~ }