Can I let them out?

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuckonDucks 

We ordered ducks that should be here 3/14/12. After alot of researching we are getting 3 cayugas, 3 rouens, 3 black swedish, and 1 buff, I'm so exited !  There is a neighborhood pond almost in our backyard that is home to a few muscovy. Would it be alright

if we let them be in the pond? We will have a shelter for them in our backyard, but I dont think we will lock them in at night.. I dont think it should be a problem as we are in southern Geogia and the only thing predator wise we have to worry about are dogs and teenagers. What do yall think?

Southern Ga. ? and you don't have bobcat, racoons, minks, weasels?  just to name a few.  One thing maybe you haven't thought through is Muscovies can fly if a predator goes after them and are use to being in the wild, but the 4 breeds you just said you have ordered won't be able to fly away from predators. and dogs will kill a duck as quick or quicker than wild animals, and then you mentioned teenagers i would be worried about them too. Your ducklings will be tiny when they arrive and will need to be taken care of just like any baby animal would. It should be quite a while before you introduced them to the neighborhood pond, If you keep them unlocked and secue at night and leave food out for them to eat you will be asking for diaster also. shelter is one thing protected from predators is another.  
 

Once ducks are given a pond, if the weather is nice, they sleep there. Might want to make sure with your neighborhood that it is OK to allow that many ducks on the pond. Others might not appreciate the "presents" they leave behind, and wild flying ducks don't tend to stay all year. My ducks didn't come off the pond until after it froze, they started to come to their coop at night, and we blocked access to the pond until it melts this spring. You won't have that problem, and my ducks never came into the coop if it was warm enough to sleep in the pond. It protected them, because the coyotes won't bother them on water.

But if a neighbor has a water dog that wants to chase them, you could be in for some trouble, and you can't keep other people off a neighborhood pond.

snapping turtles, also.

I live in Jacksonville FL, (which is very close to S. Ga)

I have had problems with:

Raccoons (too many to count) (Dawn and DUsk)

opossum (twice that I know of) (night)

rats (roof rats) (Dawn and Dusk)

dogs (usually well contained pair of pit bulls and another time a Sheppard mix INSIDE my yard's fence) (Day)

humans (unsure of age, but the stolen bird was returned later) (Night)

snakes (pine snake, only once) (Day)

Hawks (red tailed that are residential, and then during migration. Also Red shoulder and coopers hawks in season) (Day)

GHO- Great Horned Owl (residential in my area, seen them on the pen 3 times)

Grey Fox/Southern grey fox (seen evidence once) (Dawn and Dusk)

I now have a 12*20*8 pen for my outside animals. which excludes mice, rats, snakes and anything larger- it also has key locks to deter humans)

I have feral cats around that are not trouble to my adult birds would would chase a chick/duckling to death if they got the chance. (any time)

Oh hawks are day predators.

Great horned owls - we have seen 3 times with no losses because of the pen- are night preds.

Edited my other post.

I promise you, south Georgia has a healthy population of coons, bobcats,. fox, coyote, and possum, just to name some.  I have lost birds to fox and coyotes, and have seen or even trapped the rest.  A brown bear was trapped and removed from a nearby town.  I would not be surprised if there are also some type of cougar here.  There are loads of gators in this area.  I would be surprised if an established pond did not have snapping turtles sooner or later, or other species of turtles large enough to at least injure a duck.  Dogs are abandoned regularly here.  I would love to put ducks on the pond on my property but I know they would not live long.