Catching-up and laying pens

A Dutch decoy-man with many years' experience gave us some interesting information on this point. To increase the number of 'lead-in' ducks, he occasionally takes wild mallard from the pipe, removes the flight feathers on one wing and releases them in the decoy. As long as they are immobilised, he finds that they invariably act in a very secretive manner, skulking in the reeds and only coming out after dark to feed. But by the time the new feathers have grown again and they can fly freely - after about one month - they are used to the regular feeding. They become tame and stay in the decoy. The decoy-man was certain that wild-caught mallard would not breed if they were restricted either by wing-clipping or pulling, or confined free-winged in a small pen, though success has been achieved in some cases.

The Game Conservancy is frequently asked to recommend a suitable catcher for waterfowl. Probably no one type is much better than another. It is constructed of 12 in. X 4 in. framing, the floor planked with 6 in. X 2 in. boards, and covered in 4-in. mesh wire netting (except the sliding lids, for which 12-in. or 2-in. mesh should be used to allow small birds to escape). The catcher is separated into two halves by a partition.

Using 1-gallon plastic cans or blocks of expanded polystyrene for buoyancy, the catcher is floated near the site where the duck are usually fed. Normal feeding is discontinued, the trap is baited (using barley) and the sliding lids left off. As soon as the duck are seen to be taking the bait freely (this may be after a day or so, but it can sometimes be only a matter of hours!) the catcher can be set by closing the lids. It is convenient to do this during the afternoon, removing the trapped birds early the following morning.

When carrying out trials on the river at Fording bridge where the duck were fed daily, 28 mallard, 3 tufted duck, 9 coots, 15 moorhens and 1 water rail were caught in one week. At the gravel-pit wildfowl sanctuary, where the food can be put down only weekly, the duck were so keen to get to it that when the trap was set and baited it was sometimes full to overflowing in half an hour.

Larger 'walk-in' catchers can be used, similar in size and shape to crow cages, but with funnel entrances at ground level. These are best placed on a sloping beach, partly in and partly out of the water, sited so that the funnel entrance faces the shore.

There is some difference of opinion regarding the ideal sex ratio in a laying pen, also the question of using immobilised birds as against free-winged, and whether deep water is necessary to enable the drakes to tread properly. The short answer is that we know of one breeder who pens 100 mallard ducks with 10 drakes. These are pen-reared birds, all wing-clipped and with only shallow drinking pans for water. This farm gets good egg production and excellent fertility.

Framework constructed with 1" x;2" strip Floor planked with 6" x 1" board

Top and sides covered with 2" netting Both lids on top slide independently

MATERIALS REQUIRED:- 108ft. of 1" x 2" strip in l2ft lengths 52ft of 6'' x 1" planking

The system we use at Fording bridge with caught-up stock is equally satisfactory and has been practised for many years. The laying pen is 40 ft. square, roofed with plastic netting, and encloses a still backwater measuring 40 ft. X 5 ft. into this, 18 ducks and 6 drakes are put and these regularly produce 900-1,000 eggs, with over 90 per cent fertility. It is appreciated that not everybody has a river flowing past his front door, in which case a sufficient number of drinking troughs will prove equally satisfactory, if not so picturesque.

Caught-up mallard should be fed on mixed barley and poultry breeders' pellets, gradually increasing the pellets until the barley is eliminated by the end of the second week. Some breeders prefer to continue scattering a little barley about (in the water if it is present) to keep the drakes busy and to discourage them from harrying the females. A hopper is needed for pellets, but grain can be scattered in the open.

A duck laying pen invariably becomes very muddy, particularly when any water is enclosed, and dirty eggs are the result. It has been found that duck will usually lay in artificial nests, if provided. Oil drums, lying on their sides with one end cut open and one third buried, have proved satisfactory and eggs laid inside them are cleaner.

Most eggs are laid before 9 a.m. and should be picked up soon after this, particularly in an open-topped pen where jackdaws and crows can be troublesome.

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