Duck advice

[1888andybhoy 7]

Hi all i do the Keepering for the smallish syndicate I'm part of Iv'e got my Pheasants and Partridges in the pens and we've ordered 50 ducks to put on our duck pond. what do i do with the ducks as this is the first year I'm doing them. The pond is dug out of a marshy area but is dry round about the pond for about 100 yards then it gets gradually wetter. Its dense reeds around the whole area. I feed the pond every year with barley and potatoes that we get from the farmer that shoots with us. how do i get reared ducks flying Iv'e heard you feed them away from the pond and drive them home. Any help is great. Also i was going to put a feed hopper on the island on the pond. one with a length of guttering through the middle is this advised? Many thanks Andrew.

[roebuck220 80]

We put them in a pen, just a length of rabbit netting so they have half land half water. A few will flap out over it pretty quick but don't worry about that. Just keep them in it for about a week so they know where the food is. I feed them in the evening and chase them off in the morning so they fly back to feed, depends on your ground but we have a loch close by that they go to during the day. If your pond is big they can be hard to chase off it as they will sit in the middle but once they have been shot a couple of times it should be fine. If you have any partridge or pheasant drives close to the pond try to keep the hoppers (if you use them) away from the ducks as they can be a right pain once they latch on to them.