Thread: The birds are back - feeding a pond?

You make a good point Tim about turning ya spot into a night pond, Ive fallin into that trap before

Last year I didn't feed at all & had a below average opening so I might fire the feeder up again this season ( but just 3 or 4 short bursts early morning )




I use to shoot with a guy that would weigh down a sack of maize with a slit cut in it & chuck it in his pond. A basic feeder that seemed to work

I am looking for tips on feeding a small wetland as well. It's close to ellesmere so as you can imagine a million birds that aren't ducks ready to eat the feed. So far I have two 20l nosloc feeders. I am thinking of getting another couple. How would I prevent the night feeding mentioned? Buy a auto feeder which is set to only feed in the morning? It makes sense to invest a bit more in good feeders than throw out a huge amount of food and waste most of it I feel.

You could probably attach a timer to the other feeders ????

Originally Posted by redbang

You could probably attach a timer to the other feeders ????

Two different kinds of feeders red. The nosloc is a nozzel on a bucket of feed that the duck pecks and the feed come out - on demand feeding.

The automatic feeders throw feed out at set times. By the sounds of this thread it's better to set that time to be morning not night.

heres an idea from Redbangs comment, how about attaching a little flap inside a bucket that is on a timer, prehaps set every 24 hours and to stay open for about 4 hours.

This would stop them feeding all day and night.

Im sure someone could make it work (not me im only and Ideas man!! haha.)

Wheres Gadgetman??

for this to work it would have to be on the outside, as the weight of the feed would prevent it working if placed in side the bucket/drum

not if is was a sliding disk across the hole as aposed to a flap over it
flap need very power full motor and steel gears
disk could use a window motor with the limiter

just an idea

still dont think it will work , with the amount of feed stuck in the top of the spring it wouldnt close, mite depend on the type of feed you put in it

Originally Posted by upnorth uplander

still dont think it will work , with the amount of feed stuck in the top of the spring it wouldnt close, mite depend on the type of feed you put in it

upnorth, on your pond with the nosloc feeders. Do the ducks feed at night time or in the morning?

Originally Posted by MassiveAttack

I am looking for tips on feeding a small wetland as well. It's close to ellesmere so as you can imagine a million birds that aren't ducks ready to eat the feed. So far I have two 20l nosloc feeders. I am thinking of getting another couple. How would I prevent the night feeding mentioned? Buy a auto feeder which is set to only feed in the morning? It makes sense to invest a bit more in good feeders than throw out a huge amount of food and waste most of it I feel.

If possible feed before light. Start by only putting enough feed out that the birds will finish it in the morning. Slowly build up the amount of feed going out as duck numbers start to increase. You want to create some competition for food available not have food still about by evening otherwise that is when the birds will arrive. You are trying to upset their normal feed routine, roost during the day, feed at night. An electronic feeder would certainly make life easier.

Everyone uses barley or peas. Use maize if a little extra expense is tolerable

Originally Posted by MassiveAttack

upnorth, on your pond with the nosloc feeders. Do the ducks feed at night time or in the morning?

have no answer for you as i top up the feeder and usually head back to the big smoke

We put our feeder out last night. It spits out barley for 3 seconds at 7am , 10 am , 12 pm , 2:30 pm , 5 pm and 6 :30 pm . Two months out in should get the birds into an all day feeding pattern and competing for food.

im going up north on the weekend and will set up 2-3 spring feeders on my duck pond and another 5 on my upland grounds

Topped up the feeder today and changed the timer to 6 bursts throughout the morning.

The feeder appears to be working. 38 mallards and 2 parries on the pond last night!