Opinions on favorite duck foods

[bm-tn]

Just wanted to ask a general question on everyone favorite ( most productive) crops. I feel like corn and millet in combination with one another are hard to beat. Any other opinions?

Bryan

[c-bank]

Combining the two works pretty good. Only downfall we found is ducks sometimes won't go to the corn till it gets cold. Then when they do they usually don't leave it till it's all gone. They will stay in it all night and feed. We quit planting it 2 years ago. Plant nothing but browntop!!!!! Ducks will take this anytime and over anything else!!!

[JaMak84]

If your cheap like me, and you have the ability to do it. I prefer moist soil management for natural vegetation. Mother nature was feeding ducks way before we were. Don't really have enough evidence to proove it, but I had a hole right next to a flooded rice field last year that I got a good stand of barnyard and sprangle top on. Last two weeks of the season, I had the ducks and he didn't. Of course there are a lot more variables to consider here, but that's all it took to sell me.

[DanP]

good moist soil management will hold ducks much longer because there is more food, but they seem to prefer hot foods such as corn, milo, or rice.
plant some "dirty" corn or milo on a wide spacing to allow for moist soil plants and you have the best of both worlds. of course its much more complicated than that but thats the general idea.

[TeamCGO]

Browntop & Japanese Millet and Sunflowers as planted feed. Barnyard grass and smartweed as moist soil management plants.

[jwarwick]

Combining the two works pretty good. Only downfall we found is ducks sometimes won't go to the corn till it gets cold. Then when they do they usually don't leave it till it's all gone. They will stay in it all night and feed. We quit planting it 2 years ago. Plant nothing but browntop!!!!! Ducks will take this anytime and over anything else!!!

c-bank - why only browntop?? I have grown browntop and Jap many times, and the Jap always has much more seed. Also Jap seems to be more friendly to grow.... just curious.

BTW- I grow jap, but I also get a lot of barnyard, sprangletop, and some smartweed in it too. My farming operation is not very sterile.
Corn attracts too many deer where I am now, and they destroy it in the fall.

[duckter]

From what I've been told, corn, rice, millet - all carbs and waterfowl don't need to "carb up" unless we have sustained sub-freezing weather. Native grasses and invertebrates provide the protein required.

[RIPPY]

CORN,CORN,CORN,CORN AND CORN

[jestridg]

CORN,CORN,CORN,CORN AND CORN

buy it by the TONS!

[Red]

What is Sprangle Top and Barnyard Grass?

[jwarwick]

What is Sprangle Top and Barnyard Grass?

sprangletop
http://twig.tamu.edu/red_sprangletop_le ... is_002.jpg

barnyard grass- looks something like jap millett
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/weedg ... es/41a.jpg

[SWAG]

Acorns, barnyardgrass, Jap millet, sprangletop, rice, and corn. Heavy feeding or duck concentrations seem to always be observed with one or more of the above being a common variable. I prefer a brake with some good grass that came up in the late summer/early fall in combination with some high enough water during the season to put the crowns of water edge oaks hanging over the water's edge.

[c-bank]

jwarwick, you ask why only browntop?
1. It's the easiest to fool with.
2. It's ideal for 12 to 18" water depth
3. Ducks will take it over ANYTHING else if they have a choice.
4. Been doing it for 50 years and tried just about every combination there is under all conditions. This by far works the best!

[jsthntn]

Managing you natural grass will save your booty is the only advise I will give.

[Warren]

someone said it but "dirty" moist soil areas are the best of both worlds...here at state I have heard dr. kamenski lecture many times about managing for them...and when you can add some millet or corn in with them you got yourself something for sure