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  Biodynamic Life

Keeping Ducks: Our Natural Solution to Snail Plagues

10/30/2014

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When we purchased our piece of paradise in 2004 we created lots of new garden beds and heavily mulched them with straw to conserve moisture and improve our soils organic matter. We inadvertently created the perfect habitat for snails with moisture and cover in the mulch and it wasn't long before we had a huge snail plague on our hands.

We tried snail baits and they would disappear rapidly but the snails continued to thrive. We tried beer traps and other natural methods. Nothing worked and any seedlings we planted would be devoured by the snails in just one night.

One of Angus's clients had some stunning Khaki Campbell cross ducks and she gave us a trio. It didn't take them long to settle in to their new home and we began to let them out to forage in the garden of a day. It wasn't long before snail plagues became a thing of the past here at The Oasis.


Picture
We have found keeping ducks to be very simple and could not imagine our garden with out them.  As you will see from the picture above they have bred easily and are stunning.  Our ducks roam through the garden during the day time foraging and at night are shut into a simple fox proof enclosure.  They are simple to shut in at night as we have trained them to be fed late afternoon which has them telling us when they are ready for bed.  You can come home late at night to some very cranky ducks when you haven't been home earlier to feed them and lock them up for the night. 

Water is essential for ducks.  Ours have a purpose built pond in the garden where they spend a lot of time.  It is pumped out from time to time and the water is excellent garden fertiliser.  We also have water bowls around the garden for the ducks. They can manage with a simple large plastic tub with water which is easy to clean and refill regularly.  Just make sure they are able to get in and out easily. 

We feed our ducks on pig grower pellets.  This idea came from the book For the Love of Ducks by Nyiri Murtagh.  We had no idea of how to keep ducks when we started and found this book  a great resource - highly recommended if you want to learn more about keeping ducks. 
http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/For-Love-of-Ducks-Murtagh-Nyiri/9780958559034

Many people seem afraid that ducks are messy.  Their manure spread around the garden is welcome and we have a large garden so it has never been a problem.  We have learnt not to leave water or a food source around the house or they will find it and leave a mess. 

So our natural snail solution has lead to what will be a life long love of ducks in our garden.  They control snails and other insect pests, add fertility, are simply beautiful to have around and they bring a lovely energy into our garden and surrounds. 


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