Will ducks eat my garden? And how to prevent it

Yes, ducks will eat your garden. Garden plants such as lettuce, strawberries, and parsley are a natural part of their diet, so it’s no wonder that they will eat them. 

I’ve found this information, partly from owning ducks myself at one point in time and scouring forums for other people’s experiences. Few people say that their ducks don’t eat their garden vegetables at all, but this really seems to be the exception. The extent of the damage seems to vary. Some ducks only eat parts of the gardens, while other people have had their entire backyard destroyed by their ducks.

How to protect your garden from ducks

There are a few things you could do to keep ducks out of your garden. Personally, I put up a fence about 4.5ft in height, just tall enough to keep ducks out, around my most precious plants. This was enough for me, as I was willing to let them roam around the rest of my garden.

One of my neighbors put up a swan statue to keep ducks away from their garden. That’s smart, seeing as swans are natural enemies to ducks. You can also use an owl statue, ducks are equally scared of owls!

Got a pool in your backyard? Maybe you have already noticed that they seem to attract ducks. You should cover it up as much and often as you can if you want to keep ducks away.

Another alternative is to install a motion-activated sprinkler. This will scare off most ducks fast. They really don’t like to be soaked in water, so one of these should do the trick

Does nothing listed above work, or do you just want to take it to the next level? Get a scarecrow kite. They look just like a real bird of pray and will make any duck visitors chose another backyard.

Will ducks ruin my pond?

Unfortunately, ducks will likely ruin your pond as well. There are many reports of ducks making a mess in ponds, eating or harassing fish, digging holes, making the water filthy, to name a few things. And if your pool has a pump, you should know that ducks can make the water so filthy that the pump clogs up. They will waddle around the pond area, eating small creatures, such as frogs, mess up the soil, and just causing havoc in general. Not to mention what they will do to your pond plants.

If you keep small fish in your pond, ducks will likely eat them. Larger fish will probably not be eaten, but some pond owners say that ducks have killed all their fish under about 14″ (~36cm), simply by harassing them.

If you have a pond, I would strongly recommend keeping any ducks out of it. You could do this with a fence, at least 4ft (or 1.2 m) in height, to prevent your ducks from getting over.

What do ducks eat?

As you might have noticed, ducks will eat almost anything. It doesn’t seem to matter what you throw to them, they’ll likely eat it. Their natural diet consists of a varied selection of greens and small animals. Here are some of the thing ducks eat:

• frogs and their eggs
• insects
• seeds
• grains
• berries and fruits
• nuts
• tadpoles
• small fish
• worms
• snails
• grass
• most vegetables

Conclusion

To summarize: Yes, ducks will eat your gardens. Almost every duck owner we’ve spoken with report problems with letting them roam in their backyards. Unfortunately, they should not be let near your pond either, since they will mess it up in no time.

Want to know if rats can have olive oil? Take a look at our article explaining the subject here.