Plants Ducks and Geese will not eat/destroy....

[DoodlesDuckies]

Morning...I know I know it is a silly thread. I am in zone 4 (northcentral Wisconsin), are there ANY plants/shrubs I can plant in the duck yard that they will not destroy? I have mature lilacs and another large shrub they do not mess with but they are in the process of mudding out the lawn (been a wet year). Can I plant something or make a small landscaping area that looks nice that they wont consume or destroy?

I have 9 ducks and 2 geese.

Thanks
Renee

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

My ducks do NOT eat my : Rosemary, Medicinal Sage, Lavander, Fruit Trees/Bushes/Shrubs, Rose Bushes/Shrubs, and various kinds of Mint - among others...

Rosemary and Medicinal Sage - especially - are great because they stay green, leafy, all year round, grow and grow by the years, are useful (they are medicinal plants AND attract a lot of insects when flowered), and are actually really beautiful...

Besides : when they have become big, they can produce a lot of shade AND be used like wind shield.

(My ducks, my chickens, cats from wherever... they all like to go under my Rosemaries and my Sages... to hide, sleep, or just play...)

...You could also want to add Fruit Bushes/Shrubs : you can get fruits from them - and if you don't want them, you can at least give them to your ducks...

(NOTE : I don't know about Geese, since I never had ones... so I can not tell if they would eat what ducks won't even want to...?)

 

[LydiaB]

I’m in Wisconsin as well. Unfortunately I don’t have a run so I have no idea what would hold up to ducks and geese. Mine free range.
From papaye’s list, all but the rosemary and possibly sage would work for you once established. A goose will kill any baby plants they find tasty. Ducks can as well, but not as effectively.

 

[DoodlesDuckies]

I’m in Wisconsin as well. Unfortunately I don’t have a run so I have no idea what would hold up to ducks and geese. Mine free range.
From papaye’s list, all but the rosemary and possibly sage would work for you once established. A goose will kill any baby plants they find tasty. Ducks can as well, but not as effectively.

I had the bright idea to get pretty potted flowers/plants from the local greenhouse. They looked SO nice in the duck/goose yard....for like 2 days. LOL! Came home from work and POOF! just the pots were left. Apparently they tasted better than they looked to everyone.

I have started to let them roam the yard when I am around. My BF loves his lawn so I have to watch so they don't destroy the lawn. He has already grumbled about their yard being ruined and down to dirt.

All the rain this year has made everything a mess.

Renee

 

[aimee750]

A few years ago, I had two mulberry trees start growing on their own in the duck yard, they are about 8 feet tall now. The ducks love to lay in the shade of them.

 

[Papaye]

I had the bright idea to get pretty potted flowers/plants from the local greenhouse. They looked SO nice in the duck/goose yard....for like 2 days. LOL! Came home from work and POOF! just the pots were left. Apparently they tasted better than they looked to everyone.

Again : I don't know about geese... (Or even about Wisconsin's climate.)
...but my ducks, at least, don't eat Perennial Flax, Carnations, Marigolds, Violets, or Pansy flowers... or Lamb's Ear...

Actually, they don't eat my Strawberries either.
(So, you could want to take advantage of the fact you don't even need to weed to plant strawberries...?)

I also don't think they eat my Calendula flowers...
...and I know they just don't care about my Crown Imperials, my Lupines, and my Mint...

...When I had Daffodils, Tulips, and Hyacinths in my garden, my ducks clearly were not interested to even taste them...

They eat a bit of my Thyme sometimes, but not enough to destroy them; though I have A LOT of ducks for the time being.

...Good luck with your yard.