Hang on Where's Summer Gone? | Seasons | Ducks | Guide

It's autumn already and your male ducks will soon lose their flamboyant summer feathers for a more reserved winter look which blends into the background hues of brown, yellow and red. Ducks are great companions in the garden at this time of year, enthusiastically clearing any fallen fruit and sifting through the leaves as soon as they settle on the ground in the hope of finding an earwig or two.

Bonfire Night
If you or your neighbours like to celebrate bonfire night with a firework display it may be best to bring your ducks inside the house. You can put them in a spacious cardboard box lined with straw and with plenty of air holes and then pop them back into the garden in the morning. The next day, ducks will head straight for any ashes left over from a bonfire so just make sure that they have cooled down to avoid any accidental recipe ideas.

As the days get shorter and the nights start to draw in it's important to remember to lock the Eglu door promptly. And finally, sort out your compost heap and give it a good turn to make sure all those duck droppings are working their magic.

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Comments

Linda, 31 October 2022

Hi, I've been keeping 2 ducks for 9 months now. I've opted to keep the Eglu coop in one position as this prevents the grass from being completely trashed. Once a week I remove the run and dig over the area, the ducks love rummaging in the soil and soon flatten it down again. Over time the light sandy soil has sunk, my question is can I use bark chips to incorporate with the soil to build up the level. Will it harm the ducks? The ground does need to be soft for their feet but it's gradually turning into a patch of very soft 'quicksand'. I've seen people use bark chips for hens but is it ok for ducks. I don't have enough soil to barrow it from other parts of the garden. The ducks like mud in fact they eat loads of it when dabbling would it be harmful if they eat bark chips in the mud. Both the duck and drake are Welsh Harlequins very healthy the duck has laid over 250 eggs this year and still laying.