Help! Free Range Ducks and Daytime Predators

We have had indian runner ducks for 2 years. We live on 5 acres in the middle of the Kansas City suburbs with a wooded creek that runs through the middle of the property. We do occasionally see coyotes, fox, racoons, hawks and owls. We have a raised pen that is (so far) predator proof. We let the ducks out around noon (trying to avoid the morning predators) and at night they are waiting for us in the coop to come out and lock them up for the night. They love splashing around the creek during the day, but we cannot keep them alive.

We have now lost 7 of 8 adult ducks to daytime predators. I hate to have ducks just to keep them locked up all the time (when there is a delightful creek for them to splash around in all day), but I also don't want them to be easy prey for predators, which we seem to have an absurd amount of given where we live.

We liked the runner ducks for egg production. I also liked how flock oriented they were--never any aggression to one another and always stuck in a tight group. After today, we have one lone, very stressed duck, and I know we need to get her some company asap, but I'm not sure more runner ducks are the answer.

I am wondering if anyone has suggestions of any kind. Bigger ducks? Smarter ducks? Ducks that fly? Geese? We love having ducks, but it feels terrible to keep losing them to predators, and I also hate the idea of locking them up all day long.

Maybe fence them off a section of creek so they can wash their tail feathers. I play a radio in my barn 24/7/365 that you can hear all over my yard. The radio has kept the predators back and stopped so many attacks. A gaurd dog is also good. Best to raise one from a pup with the ducks, so they'll be no problems. Also I have 10 geese that keep an eye on all the ducks and chickens. My geese are Tufted Buffs, very gentle. , but they will attack a small coon or small predator. Geese are really great at guarding. We have coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and I have never lost a goose since 2009. They geese are a good idea. Most fowls are scared of them as most small predators, due to size, and size of the flock, because geese will stick together.

As hard as it to see them penned, it sounds like the best option. If they have a large enough pen they will be better off then being picked off slowly by predators. You can let them out to free range while you're outside. Geese are wonderful guards, meaning they will let you know when someone or something is there that shouldn't be by honking. The may chase small critters but when it comes to bigger predators they won't be able to defend themselves. You can always put a kiddie pool in their enclosure and they love it. Please keep them safe and I'm sorry about your ducks.