feeding wild ducks

[NickP]

A pair of ducks have adopted our garden and I suppose are nesting there? While our grandchildren were here on holiday they did what all kids do, they fed bread to the apparently grateful ducks. Kids have now gone home, and the ducks are now standing outside our back door demanding food. I don't have a problem feeding them, but I'm sure a diet of bread is not ideal. Can anybody tell me please what is a suitable food for these charming but of course wild ducks?

[Patf]

They will have a go at most things, plant or animal. But mostly ours like to be on the pond, filtering out tiny creatures from the pond water.

I would try to drive them from the house as they make a lot of mess with their sticky watery droppings. And they eat some flowers too. Do you have a pond?

[NickP]

[quote user="Patf"]They will have a go at most things, plant or animal. But mostly ours like to be on the pond, filtering out tiny creatures from the pond water.
I would try to drive them from the house as they make a lot of mess with their sticky watery droppings. And they eat some flowers too. Do you have a pond?
[/quote]

Water is no problem as we have Le Loir at the end of the garden. So far they haven't eaten the flowers but do sit in the flower beds, last year one laid twelve eggs under a lavender bush, trouble was the Fouine  had a feast, probably couldn't believe his luck? [:D] I don't mind them, but as they are wild I don't want to feed them the wrong diet

[PeterG]

Let them feed you

[Patf]

Are they mallards? We once had a little gang of wild mallards staying with us for a while, we called them the Bovver Boys. They spent most of the time on the pond, until feeding time for the others in the evening. Then they would come swaggering up, making a lot of noise, and take over the whole chicken run. They liked maize and grain (wheat.)

They all flew off eventually, but were real characters.

A shame about yours losing the eggs to the fouine.

[Jo]

Wheat would be better for them than maize, unless you are listening to PeterG and want to fatten them up[:-))][:-))] or you can buy a pelleted food.

[mint]

[quote user="PeterG"]Let them feed you[/quote]

I was going to say feed them oranges and then you'd have duck à l'orange:  used to be thought very sophisticated in the UK in the 1960s and you'd see that item often in restaurant menus.

I'd better duck now, before I get hounded off the Forum (oops, sorry, different creatures!)

(Ok, Ok, I'm just in a happy, playful mood...........apologies!) 

[Chancer]

Do you remember what Rodney said when Delboy asked him how to say "duck à l'orange" in French?

Rodders pained reply was "its canard" with heavy emphasis.

"You're telling me bruv!" came the reply [:D]

[Russethouse]

http://www.liveducks.com/faqs.html#train

Ducks can be messy - perhaps you should encourage them to stay in certain areas, or buy them nappies [:D][:D]

[Amanda 61]

We bought a sack duck food (maize etc) from a Bricomarche type shop last year and had endless pleasure watching our visitors. They flew off eventually!