Ducks to keep slugs in check but what about my pond plants?

I have slugs and snails in my vegetable garden and I don't want them there.
I have two ponds that I'm establishing as we speak, with water plants, and I do want them there.
Ducks. Yes or no?

Hi Nina. These Indian Runner Ducks seem all the rage. I don't know how much that helps. Thinking a bit of having some myself. but i do have a pond, frogs came, as they do. I put in some small fish that turned out to be waterplant eaters. Right now they should start! If they didn't die.. Had them for years, never fed them. They are Scardinius erythrophthalmus fish an interesting species, that starts eating plants when they grow a lot and keep musquitos down. I still have slugs though and would like less of them, but don't know if i can be bothered with the placing of a fence. How high does that need to be? Knee-high?
The plants i had came from my parents who'd done a walk along a river and everywhere they found a new thing, they brought a bit. And i've been kayaking in lakes to gather plants. It never got out of hand too much. This year i put a rake in and dragged some out on the shore to mulch down. But then, i didn't have ducks so far. I guess they'll eat them until it's gone. Most ponds with ducks i see are algaegreen and plantless.

Hi Hugo,

Maybe Indian runner ducks don't swim and my (bought from an online shop with many moneys) water plants would be safe?
I was also planning on getting fish to eat the mosquito larvae, good to know about your species of fish eating the plants... It's always a delicate balance to seek, isn't it?
Or is it that the fish start to eat the plants when the plants get overgrown?
It's good to share information, to learn from each other as well!

I don't know how high a runner-duck fence should be. My chicken are roaming around (free range in poultry pro' lingo) and since they can also fly, the fencing is on the high side - also to keep my houdini-esque dog inside.
I really want to get the slug population down, but I also really want to keep my water plants...hmm...

I had some water hyacinth that my Muscovy ducks murdered within a few moments. They also eat a ton of duckweed.

I was able to protect my baby water lotus.

Hi Nina I think if your plants are well established and your ponds are fairly big, ducks should be no problem.  New plants and/or small pond, ducks will destroy them.  They will also eat frogs and tadpoles.

They will also eat slugs and snails.  I can plant out the tenderest vegetables I want and I never lose them now, thanks to my two ducks.  I got the most amazing pak choi last year, which never made it past the starting gate in the past.  I had to give up my little ornamental goldfish pond (sigh) after I got ducks, but the trade off was worth it to me.

According to this website they love to swim. But don't fly.
webpage
So a small gate around your pool will do to keep them out. You have to give them their own pool though! A kids pool at least.

You're right about the delicate balance. Don't get koi, they eat plants till nothing is left.

In my experience, they don't fly *much* or particularly well. It's more like a heavy, clumsy glider. But, they can get lift. Ours (we're down to one, again) gets over a 42" hog panel with little trouble. And, I've been (unknowingly) in the path of another, that caught lift from near the top of our driveway, when I was at the bottom. Had John not yelled, that poor bird and I would have collided horribly, at about my face level. As it turned out,  I was able to scramble out of the way of the terrified, wobbling bird, and John and I both laughed so hard we were wheezing, at the poor thing and her almost-tumbling landing. She was fine, though more than a little indignant, and immediately shunned us.