Crafting for Ducks

I find it absolutely heartbreaking that the very thing Mama Duck (a/k/a Mallory Mallard) needs to keep her babies safe is the very thing that can kill them!

Since I didn't have materials to build an official duck ramp lying around, I thought I would share my solutions here.

The pool chair works beautifully and they often bed down on the dry part at night. I achored the top with a rolling wood rack and some bricks. I've since added some plastic chairs as barricades in case the dog gets curious or raccoons come.

 

But, the padding was a little thick for some of the babies and what if they fell in the jacuzzi?? I described duck ramps to my hiking buddy... basically wooden ramps with something for traction... and she came over with some thrift store treasures. 

She had these place mats made out of twigs. I cut them in half leaving the binding that held them together in place. I took an old shelf that I had been meaning to throw out for months and my staple gun and voila! Duck ramp!

The closest end floats in the jacuzzi. I made sure the twigs would go down to the water level. You don't need this many twigs to make one. You could staple twigs every half inch or so.

The hiking buddy also brought an old bamboo screen. I tied a rock to anchor it in the bottom of the pool because it floats a little too well. I also anchored it to the patio with rocks and lumber. I took a pool pole and pushed the rock out at an angle to keep the platform in the water taut. This is their favorite ramp! 

I also raised the level of the pool up to the lip but over 2" had evaporated by this morning and the ducklings have grown so much.

It's also really great to have something floating in the pool for them to stand and rest on!  A piece of bubble wrap or pool cover works great. This can also work as a floating dock if you can anchor it near the edge.