Ducks Move in at Whiskerton!

Through a connection with the Oregon Sustainable Land Trust, a parent organization of the Urban Farm Collective, I was given three ducks... two female and one male. They moved into Whiskerton Garden yesterday and have been getting to know their new surroundings.

They seem very content in the garden - plenty of yummy slugs and other bugs to eat! Ducks are excellent garden companions because they provide so many needs for the garden:

• They eat slugs and other insects that can be damaging to garden vegetables. Letting the ducks roam around the garden is one of the best slug management mechanisms.
• They will poo, which is an excellent nitrogen source for the beds. 
• They will provide eggs. There was an egg waiting for us after the first night! They will lay eggs from April - October, more in the beginning of the season. They are not as consistent as chickens for laying eggs (one of the reasons they are less commercial.

Other benefits of ducks:

• They are quieter than chickens - important to consider in urban locations like Whiskerton Garden. The neighbors may not be so excited to have a farm next door!
• They are less destructive on garden beds - they do not scratch like chickens do.

I look forward to learning more about ducks and updating more as I learn about how to best integrate them with the garden.

These three still need names... any ideas?!