Most of our mallard broods die off very quickly; what's killing them?)

Most people assume that this is a predation problem, but this is not usually the case. Predators rarely wipe out whole broods. The more likely cause is starvation through lack of insects. Fish can often be present at such high numbers that very few insects survive to hatch at the surface where mallard ducklings can get at them. Another cause of low insect availability is nutrient enrichment causing algal blooms and ‘green’ water in farmyard ponds.

Where insects are in short supply it may be possible to supplement the food supply for ducklings by providing chick crumbs through a creep feeder.