Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
PEST CONTROL
Ducks aren't afraid to jump into life with both of their little flat feet. An excellent
way to wipe out slug and snail problems is to turn ducks into an area that has an in-
festation. It takes them only a few days to have it under control. I used them on sev-
eral locations out west where we flood-irrigated our crops. The ducks took advant-
age of the water on the surface of the ground, probing holes for slugs, snails, and/or
grasshopper egg cases. Unfortunately, they also take the good with the bad, as they
love earthworms.
Ducks are also used with great success on cattle and swine livestock yards to con-
trol disease-carrying flies. They have a voracious appetite for fly larvae and when al-
lowed to roam near moist areas where flies lay their eggs, the ducks scoop up mouth-
ful after mouthful. Given free range of larger livestock quarters, they are the well-re-
spected guests of ranchers and livestock species alike.
Avoid placing ducks in an area where your plants are young and tender, as they
will naturally sample lettuce and other tasty vegetables. It's best to turn them out at
the end of the garden season when your crops are full grown. Let them run wild and
catch bugs to help prevent a future crop of insects the following year. While nos-
ing about at season's end in areas where grasshoppers have laid their eggs, they will
extract and devour a great number of them. As their bills sift through the soil, they
loosen it up for you, aerating it, especially if there's any water.
Turn ducks out in your end-of-the-season gardens and flowerbeds during or fol-
lowing a rainfall or use of a sprinkler. They will take advantage of the dampness,
extracting as many insects and other harmful creatures as they can.
Once ducklings are fully feathered, they can handle cold weather and heat as long as
they have a place to get out of wind and heavy storms. A simple shelter is all they need,
something that blocks the wind and keeps out the rain. Heavily insulated buildings are
nice, but not absolutely necessary. All waterfowl love to have water to swim and play
in, but they thoroughly enjoy a dry place to sleep.
Not Just Slobs
Ducks are often thought of as messy, dirty, and just plain slobs. Ducks truly enjoy life
and dig into everything with enthusiasm. Give them a trickle of water on a piece of
ground and they'll become ecstatic. They'll shove their bills into the ground digging and
looking for worms and grubs. Give them a pool or a pond and they'll jump into it at full
speed and swim and dive with glee. A pond filled with algae and fresh water plants is
