If you have a pond and you are wondering if having ducks will ruin your pond, then you should read this article to the end.
Ducks are cute and friendly birds, and if you are like me you definitely want them around.
But what does that mean for your ponds?
Will ducks ruin my ponds? Ducks will ruin your ponds and can cause all kinds of problems with the quality of your water. They are also messy birds and can introduce bacteria and infection into your ponds. If you have goldfish or koi in your ponds, ducks can also kill them by eating them and reducing the water quality.
How to keep ducks away from your ponds.
Now we know that ducks are an absolute nightmare to garden ponds, here are some of my best tips to ensure that you keep them away and they stay for good.
1. Make sure you install a pond netting
This is without a doubt my pest tip for keeping ducks away from my garden ponds
Ducks are messy animals and the easiest way to ensure they do not get into your pond is to keep them away.
And you can do that by installing pond netting around your pond
What happens is that the pond netting ensures that the birds do not get in contact with the water and you know ducks like water
Even if they fly and get in, they won’t be comfortable as the pond netting is already covering your pond so the birds can bath, splash and ruin your ponds
I highly recommend the Laguna Pond Netting with Placement Stakes which you can easily get from Amazon
One thing you need to know about ducks is that they are very useful if they can stay away from the water.
Their poop can act as fertilizers for your garden plants but the question is how do you keep them away from your pond.
Use a pond netting and you should have no problem.
Using a pond netting also comes with other numerous benefits.
Like reducing sludge from fallen debris and deterring other predators like heron from eating your fishes.
2. Use shade sails and covers to stop ducks from ruining your ponds
Another option you can use which in my opinion is less effective than using a pond netting is using shade sails and covers.
What they do is that they provide shade to your garden pond which in turn helps control the growth of algae and keeps your pond warm.
The one thing I really like about shade sails and covers is that it helps mask your ponds from ducks that are flying above
So if they cannot see it from above then they will not visit it
The disadvantage is that if they do come around, there is not protection around your pond as the birds will easily slip through and ruin your pond
What I advise and if you can afford it, is to use both methods – pond netting and also shade sails and covering.
This will help provide maximum covering from sunlight, ducks and other predators
It is ideal for garden ponds in warm climates as the goldfish and koi will enjoy the warm temperature.
3. Use a water fountain to keep ducks away
A water fountain is also a good idea if you have a water feature that covers most of your pond as the noise from the water fountain will most likely disturb the birds from coming around.
Most times ducks land in a garden pond, they are looking for peaceful and quiet place to relax and feed or they are trying to get away from other birds
So when they land in your garden pond and see a big water fountain with all that noise going on, they are most likely to leave and never return.
But one thing you should know is that the size of the fountain matters a lot
A small water fountain will most definitely not deter the birds and might even make it more attractive for them to come around.
This is because ducks enjoy the easy accessibility of water and the water fountain provides that making cleaning and splashing very easy.
But a fountain that is big in size and covers a large ground area will scare them away and does not make for a good nesting area.
4. Put up predator decoys
Using a predator decoy can actually work to keep ducks away from your garden pond but you want to make sure that the decoys are very convincing
Ducks are very smart birds and if they feel that you are trying to be smart with them then you are simply wasting your time.
In my opinion, I feel like common heron decoys will not scare them away and might even make the pond seem safer to them
So what you want to do is to use decoys such as alligators, cats or dogs as ducks usually relate danger to these animals
I have noticed that decoys may be miss and hit and sometimes the birds that were initially frightened away will become aware of the decoys and realize that it’s a fake.
Here is a Lucky Duck Predator I found on Amazon which should serve you really well
5. Make sure you do not feed them and shoo them away
Even after taking all these precautions some ducks will still make their way into your pond
The best thing to do in such a situation is to go old school and shoo them away
Also make sure you are not leaving food around the pond that attracts them and causes them to stay.
Driving them away as soon as they land and making sure they do not get too comfortable will keep them running away
If you have a dog, you can also set them loose to help keep the dogs away.
When you feed your fishes, ensure you stick around till the last pellets are eaten as ducks are notorious for stealing floating fish feed which might leave your fishes with no supper.
Is it safe to swim in a pond with ducks?
Ducks are very social and friendly birds and swimming with them in a pond should not be an issue.
The problem that might cause you is when they poop in the water and you ingest it somehow
Duck poop contains bacteria which is very toxic to humans and can cause illness and infections
So I will say that it is perfectly safe to swim in a pond with ducks but you want to make sure that you avoid the pond when they mess it up
What scares ducks away from ponds?
If you really want to keep ducks away from your ponds, here are some things that scares ducks away from ponds and pools
- Dogs
- Predator decoys like this one on Amazon
- Scarecrows
- Water sprinklers or fountains
- Motion activated repellants
- Animal pool toys as ducks do not like predator infested waters
- Using cayenne pepper – what you want to do is mix cayenne pepper in water and spray around your ponds as this will keep them away.
Conclusion
Duck will ruin your ponds if you allow them to come close.
They will mess up your ponds and can even kill your fishes. what you want to do is put up pond netting and install predator decoys to keep them away.
