feeding ducks

[shitzu 0]

well lads just wondering when should i start throwing out feed to entice duck on to permission i ve got theres already a couple of mallard on it

[welshboy454 3]

well lads just wondering when should i start throwing out feed to entice duck on to permission i ve got theres already a couple of mallard on it

Below is some inf trawled from the net. We don't start feeding until after the moult say first week August in Wales.

 

"After the breeding season Mallards moult, or shed old feathers, into what is known as an eclipse plumage. The males are the first to undergo this moult.

 

The males remain on their territories for about the first 10 days of incubation. After that, they desert their mates. They move to larger marshes, where they lose their brilliant breeding plumage and become more similar to the hen, or female. All their flight feathers are shed at once, and for about a month the birds are flightless. They hide in the reeds until their new feathers are grown.

 

When the females have left their broods, they too gather in the reeds to moult. They also become flightless, but the new plumage they assume is little different from the one they have shed. In the late fall the young gain the plumage of their respective sexes. The males, however, may not attain their full brilliance until their second year.

 

In late summer the birds gather in mixed flocks of young and old. Throughout much of the day they sit idly far from shore. As the grain ripens, the ducks make their flights to the feeding fields. These flights are usually made in early morning and late evening, but in dull, stormy weather may occur throughout the day. They provide the hunter with the best duck shooting."

[Guest MickyB]

Alright mate, start feeding in August, but dont go mad on the food. Barley is best but cheap wheat will be fine (expensive usually), feed the ammount to suit how many ducks your bringing in, and as the number increases... increase the feed accordingly.

You want to keep them on the hungry side if anything and they will be keen to get in to your pond as darkness is falling..... if there is always a bag full of feed in the pond they could turn up at leisure any time through the night.

[shitzu 0]

thanks for the feed back lads will be a great help