Ducks are waterfowl and these creatures spend a lot of their time in and around the pond. In the wild, ducks will rarely land in places that don’t have a pond or a body of water. If you are raising ducks in your backyard, you may wonder if the ducks are different from those in the wild.
Do Ducks Need a Pond?
Yes, ducks need a pond to keep them healthy and happy. Unlike chickens, ducks are creatures that need a pond to keep themselves clean.
Ducks have a flat bill that is designed for foraging foods. They’ll forage for food in the dirt, mud, and even underwater. Foraging for food will cause their bill to become dirty.
Another reason to keep their bill clean is due to the mucous membranes. The mucous membranes are located at the back of their bill. This needs to be clean and moist at all times in order for the duck to eat and swallow their food properly. If it becomes dry, the bird will have hard swallowing of their food and will eventually lead to choking.
6 Reasons Why Ducks Need a Pond?
Some people may think a duck doesn’t need a pond since they are raised in the backyard. Farm ducks are provided food and all the necessity to keep them healthy. While that’s true, farm ducks and wild ducks are still the same when it comes to a pond.
If you’re still wondering why ducks need a pond, below are 6 reasons why:
Feather Health
Feathers are important for a duck. They need feathers for flight, protection from the weather, and regulating their body temperatures.
For that reason, a pond is important for the ducks. They will use the pond to bathe themselves. After bathing, the ducks will spend a lot of time preening their feathers. Preening will help clean and condition the feathers.
Ducks don’t often molt, so it’s important that they keep their feathers in great shape.
Parasites & Mites
Parasites and mites are common among waterfowls, especially ducks. They are everywhere and the ducks can’t escape them.
To get rid of the parasites and mites, ducks will need a way to rid themselves of them.
If you’ve own chickens, you know that they will need a dust bath to rid the parasites. When it comes to ducks, they don’t take a dust bath.
In order for them to clean themselves of the parasites, they’ll need water. For that reason, a pond is needed for ducks.
Ducks are smart creatures, and they know parasites and mites can’t survive in water. What they will do is dive into the water a couple of times to remove the parasites.
If there is no pond for the ducks, they will have no other ways of getting rid of the parasites.
Oil Gland
To keep their feathers clean and waterproof, ducks have an oil gland that is at the base of their tail. This gland is activated when the ducks start to splash water over their back.
As the ducks splash water, the oil gland will spray waterproofing oils that will cover their feathers.
This oil is important for the bird as it protects them from the cold, rain, and snow.
Therefore, a pond is important for the ducks.
Mating
Like most other waterfowls, ducks need water to mate. This will make them more fertile if they can mate while swimming.
However, if the water is not available to them, ducks can mate on water.
If there’s a pond, they will prefer that over mating on land.
Good Health
When ducks are clean, they will be healthy. A healthy duck will live for a long time.
Having a pond for the ducks to swim and clean themselves, they will be very happy.
Escape Danger
Ducks are at the bottom of the food chain. They are prey to many predators such as foxes, raccoons, and hawks.
Many of these predators don’t like water. It tends to be too difficult for them to catch their prey in the water.
Since ducks are great swimmers, they can escape danger by going into the pond. Many predators such as foxes and raccoons will retrieve once the ducks are in the pond.
For other predators from above such as hawks, ducks can easily dive into the pond’s water to escape.
What Size Pond Do Ducks Need?
The size of the pond will depend on how many ducks you have. Of course, the larger the flocks are, the bigger the pond should be to accommodate all of them.
For people that don’t have a large pond in their yard, ducks will still be happy if there is someplace they provide them a place to swim and clean themselves.
This could be anything from a small fishpond, a kiddie pool, or even a tub.
How To Provide The Swim
Ducks are creatures that prefer to spend much of their time in the water. You’ll need to provide them a pond for them.
If you don’t have a pond that’s accessible to them, you can create one in your backyard. Something as simple as a plastic water tub will do.
When using a plastic water tub, make sure that it’s big enough for the duck to waddle in.
Also, you’ll need to clean the tub frequently. Ducks tend to make the water dirty quickly. These birds will climb in and out of the tub all day long.
Do Ducks Need a Pond In The Winter?
Ducks don’t need a pond in the winter to survive. If you can supply one, they will be very happy. Even though it’s cold, ducks have feathers that can protect them from the cold water.
If there’s a pond available, break the ice every morning for them to enjoy a quick swim.
Related Questions
Do ducks need a pond to survive?
Ducks don’t need a pond to survive. All they require is a body of water that’s large enough for them to stick their entire head under to clean out their bill and their feathers. Of course, ducks love water and a pond will make them very happy.
